Recently, a hidden camera was discovered in a homestay room in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, and news of some homestay operators "ganging up" on the discoverer of the camera has once again thrust the ugly phenomenon of secret filming into the public spotlight. The incident quickly trended multiple times on social media.
In recent years, there have been numerous cases of hidden cameras found in hotels and homestays. What kind of profit chain lies behind these secret recordings? Where do the secretly recorded videos go? What legal responsibility should the involved parties bear?
Three Detained for Installing Hidden Cameras in Homestay Rooms
Recently, a popular internet influencer with millions of followers posted a video on social media exposing secret cameras found in several homestay rooms in the Xinhua District of Shijiazhuang. The video shows that the influencer received a tip from a follower that hidden cameras were installed in an apartment at Huaqiang Plaza, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang.
The influencer, along with friends, went to the apartment, used detection equipment to locate a room with a hidden camera, and, after obtaining the consent of two female occupants, found a camera hidden in the air conditioner duct. They immediately reported the incident to the police.
In the video, after discovering the camera, the influencer and their companions were surrounded, verbally abused, assaulted, and threatened by a group of people. Later, the police took the influencer and others to the police station for further investigation. The influencer also showed video evidence of their car tires being deflated and the license plates smeared on the night of September 16.
On the evening of September 24, the Xinhua Branch of the Shijiazhuang Public Security Bureau issued an official statement via their WeChat account, confirming that on September 23, a netizen had posted a video showing a confrontation between homestay operators and a group searching for hidden cameras in an apartment in Xinhua District.
On September 15, at 3:02 PM and 8:14 PM, the bureau received reports from the public about discovering pinhole cameras in an apartment room. The police immediately dispatched officers to the scene, confiscated the cameras, and launched an investigation.
Repeated Hidden Camera Incidents in Hotels
Reports show that in recent years, there have been numerous incidents involving hidden cameras in hotels.
In September 2021, a couple in Zhoukou, Henan Province, discovered a pinhole camera in their hotel room. After staying one night, they noticed the camera hidden in the air conditioner pipe the next morning. The hotel manager claimed they were also victims. The couple demanded 30,000 yuan in compensation, but the hotel offered no more than 10,000 yuan.
In December 2021, Changzhou police in Jiangsu Province dismantled a black market chain involving the illegal installation, uploading, sharing, and selling of hidden camera footage. The operation involved hotels across Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou and resulted in the arrest of 37 suspects, with illegal profits exceeding 200,000 yuan. The police confiscated over a dozen hidden cameras from hotels in multiple cities.
In January 2022, police in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, received a report that a hotel room in their jurisdiction might have been equipped with a hidden camera, and the footage was uploaded to adult websites. Upon investigation, police discovered a camera in one of the rooms and arrested seven suspects. The case involved a wide distribution of cameras across multiple cities. The suspects recorded private videos and uploaded them online, using QQ groups to attract viewers and profit from the footage, causing widespread harm.
In November 2022, a woman in Loudi, Hunan Province, was secretly filmed while staying at a hotel. A stranger later blackmailed her with the footage, demanding 100,000 yuan and threatening to send the images to her employer and friends. The hotel reported the incident to the police.
In October 2023, a couple in Guangxi complained to the media that they had stayed at a hotel in Nanning for three months the previous year and suddenly received secretly recorded footage from a stranger. The videos included five clips showing private moments and their personal information, such as their ID and phone numbers. When they returned to the hotel, they found that the hidden cameras had not been removed. The hotel claimed they were also victims and had reported the matter to the police.
A Profit Chain Behind Secret Recordings
According to media investigations, the footage from secret recordings is not limited to hotel rooms. Videos of women using the bathroom, taking showers, and upskirt shots are also common targets.
Where do these secretly recorded videos go? Investigations reveal that many of these images and videos are uploaded online to attract traffic. In contrast, others are packaged and sold in secret groups or on social media platforms, turning the victims' privacy into a commodity for others to profit from.
A reporter from CNR once infiltrated a social media group and, after some interactions, was added to a group with over a thousand members. This group contained a small number of secretly recorded videos. The reporter was then invited to join a paid SVIP group, which had only a few hundred members but hosted over 1,000 secretly recorded videos, updated daily with 20-30 new clips. It was also discovered that some groups categorize their content based on specific "fetishes," such as "toilet recordings," "hotel recordings," and "shower recordings."
Where do these videos come from? Some criminals specialize in secretly recording explicit videos, while others collect and purchase such footage or exchange their recordings for others in secret groups. An "insider" revealed that his source of video packages came from a so-called "industry leader" specializing in filming models and influencers. A single package can sell for over 6,000 yuan.
An undercover investigation by The Beijing News also uncovered large-scale sharing and selling of private videos and images on a secret chat platform. Users can pay to join group chats to watch or obtain these videos. The groups are generally divided into two types: free preview groups, which serve as bait to lure members into paid VIP groups, and paid VIP groups, which usually cost under 200 yuan to join. The group sizes vary from a few hundred to tens of thousands of members.
A website operator, Xiao Ni (pseudonym), revealed that secretly recorded videos and images can easily be found on paid websites. Users can purchase site currency to unlock download permissions. He provided a link to a website called "XX Forum," where large volumes of secretly recorded videos and images were available. The footage included videos shot in hotels using pinhole cameras, as well as handheld recordings. Xiao Ni explained that these videos are either uploaded or sold by the person who recorded them and then repackaged and resold by the group administrators.
Even some homestay owners are reportedly involved. According to Jiupai Finance, a former homestay owner, Xiao Na (pseudonym), told reporters that as early as 2017, some homestay operators were already installing hidden cameras during room renovations. Each room had at least 3-5 cameras, and the footage was synced to the cloud for live streaming.
"The most concerning part is that these deeply embedded cameras are often hard to detect and can stay in place for a long time," Xiao Na said. She added that some homestay operators would furnish the rooms with luxurious decorations and set very low prices. Passionate theme rooms, influencer rooms, and those located near schools or tourist attractions were often hotbeds for secret filming.
Xiao Na mentioned that some homestay operators earned five figures in daily incomes by selling secretly recorded videos or live stream access. These operators usually worked in teams, forming a mature industrial chain: the homestay owners provided the videos or live streams, while others handled the sales online. Xiao Na herself was once invited to join, but she refused.
Hidden Surveillance Equipment Easily Available Online
Secret filming wouldn't be possible without hidden camera equipment. Journalistic investigations revealed that micro-cameras and pinhole cameras are widely available on online shopping platforms and private chat apps. Customers simply need to specify their needs and pay a deposit, and the seller will ship the hidden equipment or a complete set of modified products by courier.
On a private chat app, a journalist found a secret filming discussion group through keyword searches. After observing the group for several days, the journalist noted that members frequently discussed the purchase, modification, and use of secret filming equipment. Sellers in the chat group also posted information about their products. One seller offered images of various items, including Bluetooth speakers, ashtrays, sneakers, and shampoo bottles, all embedded with micro-cameras. "All modified products with pinhole cameras cost 1,000 yuan," the seller explained.
The investigation also found that these secret filming devices were not limited to private chat apps—they could also be purchased on e-commerce platforms. However, buyers needed to search using alternative keywords, as terms like "pinhole camera" or "hidden camera" would not yield results.
For instance, by searching for a "law enforcement recording device" on one platform, the journalist found a device that had been modified for secret filming, with a description stating, "No light when recording." Prices started at 30 yuan, and the device had both recording and video functions, looking very much like a regular voice recorder. Another listing for a "wireless monitor" boasted features like "4K ultra-clear resolution" and "superior night vision," with numerous users praising its "good concealment" in the comments section.
Some buyers even posted photos of the product in use—one image showed a button-sized camera sewn into a stuffed animal, making it nearly impossible to distinguish between the toy's buttons and the camera. Many users specifically praised the camera's hidden functionality in the comments.
Experts: Tougher Penalties Needed for Illegal Activity
In recent years, authorities have ramped up efforts to crack down on the secret filming black market.
From May to December 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, launched a concentrated campaign against the secret filming black market. The Cyberspace Administration urged local offices to instruct platforms to remove over 22,000 pieces of harmful content, delete more than 4,000 accounts and 132 groups, and take down over 1,600 illegal products. They also summoned 14 video surveillance app manufacturers over privacy risks and urged them to rectify the issues.
In 2022, during the Ministry of Public Security's crackdown on public safety violations, cybercrime units nationwide targeted the illegal manufacture, installation, and control of network cameras and other surveillance devices. Authorities solved over 140 cases, dismantled more than 40 illegal production sites for surveillance equipment, arrested over 380 suspects, and seized more than 100,000 surveillance devices and components.
Regarding the legal responsibilities of all parties involved in secret filming, Hu Yunyun, a lawyer at Beijing Yinghe Law Firm, stated that government authorities must strengthen source control by overseeing the production and sale of surveillance equipment, managing the qualifications of manufacturers, and requiring e-commerce platforms to monitor the sale of sensitive items. Sellers should also be required to register buyers' real names to ensure the traceability of such equipment. Moreover, Hu emphasized the need for continuous improvements to laws and regulations, with tougher penalties for offenders to increase the cost of illegal activity.
Zheng Zhenghao, a lawyer at Beijing Weiheng Law Firm, noted that the penalties for secret filming and selling recordings depend on the specifics of each case. In some cases, the footage may not have been widely distributed, or the illegal profits may have been minimal, which could lead to lighter sentences. However, if the secret filming is part of a larger criminal syndicate involving widespread distribution and significant illegal gains, the offenders could face severe punishments, including sentences of over 10 years or even life imprisonment if the consequences are particularly serious.
Do hotels and homestays bear any responsibility when secret filming occurs on their premises? Zhou Lei, a lawyer at Beijing Jianhao Law Firm, explained that in terms of tort liability, the principle of fault applies. "If the perpetrator cannot be found, the hotel generally cannot be held liable for the invasion of privacy, unless it can be proven that the hotel or its staff were involved or assisted in the secret filming." However, from a contractual perspective, the hotel has a legal obligation to ensure the safety and privacy of its guests under the accommodation contract.
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