"The hotel room I stayed in was livestreamed"... Hidden spycam videos in China sold on Telegram

\r\n
[Financial News] A so‐called "spycam porn" industry is still thriving in China, critics say, with hidden cameras secretly installed in hotel rooms to livestream and sell guests' private moments in real time.
On the 6th, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported the case of a man who stayed at a hotel in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and later discovered that a video of him having sex with his partner had been circulated online. The footage had been recorded by a miniature camera concealed inside the room and was being sold to paying subscribers on Telegram. He reportedly stumbled upon the clip while watching an adult content channel he regularly used and recognized himself in the video.
According to a joint investigation by SCMP and BBC World Service, spycam porn in China has been around for at least a decade. Despite pornography production and distribution being illegal, the trade is said to be operating underground. Investigators identified several sites and apps on Telegram that broadcast hotel rooms live, and some operators claimed they were monitoring hundreds of rooms.
Filming begins the moment a hotel guest enters the room and inserts the key card, and the footage is then offered on the platforms as either live streams or downloadable videos. Subscribers also leave comments rating the guests' appearance and sexual activity.
During the investigation, a real spycam aimed at a bed was found in a hotel room in Zhengzhou, central China. The camera had been hidden inside an air vent and could not be detected by commercially available scanning devices.
The Chinese government last year introduced rules requiring hotel owners to carry out regular checks for illegal cameras, but critics argue the measures have had little effect. Human rights groups also criticized platforms such as Telegram for failing to properly process requests to remove videos from victims.
Experts said that "technology platforms are effectively enabling the distribution of illegal content" and stressed the need for a much stronger international response. Victims are reportedly struggling in their daily lives, living with constant anxiety that their videos may still be circulating online.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter