Recent incidents of hidden cameras being found in hotels, guesthouses, and prominent universities in mainland China have revealed a huge black market intertwined with the act of secret filming.
Recently, a netizen posted on social media claiming that a month ago, when staying at a hotel in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, she discovered a camera hidden in the air conditioning vent directly facing the bed in the bedroom. At that time, she and her partner were scantily dressed and suspected that they had been filmed, maybe even live-streamed.
According to a report by “Xiaoxiang Morning Post” on September 26, the person involved in the above video, nicknamed “Big Funny Cat,” stated that the incident occurred on August 25. She and her boyfriend stayed in a suite on the third floor of Lande Hotel in Baotou. After having dinner in the living room, she went to the bathroom to do laundry while her boyfriend lay on the bed.
When “Big Funny Cat” entered the bedroom after finishing laundry, her boyfriend raised his head and noticed something abnormal in the air conditioning vent: a round object that they suspected was a camera. They contacted the hotel front desk, expressing their concerns of being filmed due to their revealing attire.
Claiming that the hotel manager’s attitude was indifferent, “Big Funny Cat” stated that the front desk suggested they report to the police. They dialed 110, and shortly after, the police arrived and confirmed the presence of a camera before removing it.
She mentioned that when she and her boyfriend asked the hotel to address the issue, the manager only offered a few room vouchers, leading to a falling out between both parties.
“Big Funny Cat” noted that the camera they saw had a larger head, making it easier to detect, unlike the recent news about pinhole cameras found in a guesthouse in Shijiazhuang. She believed that this type of camera could potentially be used for live streaming.
The next day, “Big Funny Cat” shared her experience in the hotel’s review section, which resulted in her receiving a civil lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit provided by “Big Funny Cat,” the hotel staff claimed that her negative review, along with accompanying photos and videos, infringed upon their image rights and reputation. As a result, they sued her, demanding the removal of photos and videos taken on her phone and posted in the hotel review section, a public apology, and compensation of 10,000 yuan for losses.
Regarding the above report, authorities from the Qingshan Sub-Bureau of Baotou Public Security Bureau responded to the media on September 25, confirming that they were investigating the situation but could not disclose specific details.
The hidden camera incident in a hotel guesthouse in Shijiazhuang mentioned by “Big Funny Cat” is just one of the recent occurrences that have sparked public attention.
On September 24, blogger “Shadow Never Lies” stated that on September 15, they found hidden cameras in rooms at two hotel guesthouses in Huaqiang Plaza, Shijiazhuang. When they attempted to confirm and remove the cameras on the spot, they were surrounded in the hotel hallway by the guesthouse owner and others, leading to hours of intimidation, with some team members even being physically assaulted.
On the night of the 24th, the Xinhua Sub-Bureau of Shijiazhuang Municipal Public Security Bureau in Hebei Province issued a police incident report declaring that three criminal suspects who installed pinhole cameras had been captured and subjected to criminal measures.
As the blogger described, they discovered hidden cameras in July at Huaqiang Plaza and were coerced into signing a non-disclosure statement by the crowd gathered there. Although influenced by the difficulty of the situation faced by business owners – and with the intervention of certain leaders – they agreed to keep quiet, provided the cameras were removed to prevent a recurrence.
“However, in September, I received submissions from fans claiming that cameras were still present at the location. So, I led the team back to the scene, resulting in the same scene shown in the video. Recalling the events from July, where they attempted to intimidate us again, using both hard and soft tactics to prevent exposure. They surrounded the police station from around 9 p.m. to about 4 a.m.”
“They attempted to negotiate with me multiple times, but I made it clear that I had to expose them. After being influenced by authorities, they gradually backed off, and we took the opportunity to escape. We found our vehicle damaged, tires deflated, and license plate altered. We managed to drive off, with damaged rims, to a safe location to change the tires.”
On September 26, the blogger expressed dissatisfaction as there was no apology extended to them, and multiple videos were subsequently blocked and removed by the authorities.
It is worth noting that the hidden camera incidents in hotel guesthouses are not isolated cases.
As reported by Upstream News, in recent years, incidents of hidden cameras in hotels have occurred multiple times in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces.
Additionally, according to Jiu Pai Finance, former guesthouse owner Xiaona (pseudonym) stated that incidents like the hidden camera discovery in Shijiazhuang hotel guesthouses might shed light on how many seemingly unrelated guesthouse owners actually play a crucial role in the black industry of secret filming.
Xiaona revealed that back in 2017, when she operated a guesthouse, many peers voluntarily installed cameras in their rooms during renovations. Each room had at least 3-5 cameras which were synchronized to the cloud for live streaming. She emphasized that these cameras, hidden during renovations, were difficult to detect and could remain in operation for long periods.
Offering “high quality at low cost” room types is a common tactic of guesthouse owners to attract customers. Xiaona mentioned that some guesthouse owners often decorate rooms elaborately and set prices extraordinarily low. Rooms like those near schools, scenic spots, themed rooms, and influencer-designed rooms are popular targets for covert filming.
For these guesthouse owners, profits primarily come from selling videos of secret recordings or offering pay-per-view live streams. Xiaona described how some owners could earn a five-digit income daily by selling these recordings or live streams. These individuals usually operate in teams, forming a mature industry chain – guesthouse owners provide the videos for shooting and live stream resources, while others handle selling on the web. Xiaona revealed that some guesthouse owners had urged her to join but she refused.
To mitigate risks, guesthouse owners involved in the clandestine filming industry often transfer ownership of their guesthouses to outsiders after a year of operation. However, the cameras remaining undetected in the original rooms can still be used for filming and profit-making. After transferring the guesthouse, these owners move on to open new ones in other cities to continue the cycle of secret filming and profit.
Currently, surveillance cameras have become prevalent in China under the authoritarian regime of the CCP. These cameras, originally intended for everyday life and work settings, have now become tools for illicit individuals to profit, leaving many families and hotel privacies exposed.
As per a report by “Jinan Times” on September 25, Beijing Chaoyang District Court disclosed its handling of network crime cases over the past five years, with one “privacy violation” case sending chills down the spine.
Defendant Wu illegally obtained user names and password data for a brand of cameras and incorporated them into their self-built app. They controlled over 180,000 cameras in locations such as hospitals, homes, nursing homes, and laboratories. Wu promoted the service as “seeing the world without stepping out” and charged customers between 68 to 688 yuan for memberships to access real-time monitoring. Eventually, Wu was sentenced to five years in prison.