A Hong Kong man and his girlfriend were secretly filmed in a hotel room in Shenzhen.
A Hong Kong man has described his shock when he discovered that a secretly recorded video of him and his girlfriend inside a hotel room in Shenzhen had been uploaded to an adult website without their consent. The man, who knew him by the alias Eric, told the BBC that the footage was filmed in 2023 while he was living in southern China. Weeks later, while browsing a voyeurism website he had visited for years, he recognized the hotel room, then realized that the couple in the video were him and his partner. The clip, which was edited into an hour-long video, showed the couple entering the room, unloading their belongings and then engaging in intimate activity.
The recording was done using a hidden camera inside the hotel room. Neither of them was aware of being photographed.
From viewer to victim
Eric said he has been drawn to so-called “spy cam” pornography since he was a teenager. He described his attraction to what he saw as its originality. “What attracted me was the fact that people don’t know they are being filmed,” he told the BBC. “I think traditional porn seems very staged and fake.”
He said he found the footage of himself and his girlfriend about three weeks after they stayed at the hotel. At first, he was watching out of curiosity. It soon became clear that the room, timing, and sequence of events matched their journey. When he told his partner, referred to as Emily, she initially thought he was joking. After watching the video herself, she felt sad, fearing that her colleagues, friends or family members had already seen it online. According to BBC reports, the couple avoided speaking to each other for weeks after the discovery. They are now taking extra precautions in public places and trying to avoid hotel stays wherever possible. Eric said the experience changed his relationship with the content he had previously consumed. He no longer visits those sites, except occasionally to check if the video has appeared again.
A widespread problem
The production and distribution of pornography is illegal in China, and voyeurism, including recording individuals without their consent in private places, can result in criminal charges, fines and imprisonment.
Despite this, hidden camera pornography has spread in the country for more than a decade. This material is often shared through encrypted messaging services, including Telegram, where users exchange links to websites hosting explicit content. According to a BBC investigation, there are thousands of “spycam” videos available online. Through six sites examined, the broadcaster identified more than 180 active hidden cameras recording or live streaming from hotel rooms across China.These secret devices can be as small as a pencil eraser. Investigators found that some of them were automatically triggered when guests inserted their room key cards. Operators are reportedly recruiting subscribers through social media and charging a monthly fee of around 450 yuan (about £47) for access.
Hidden hotel cameras are small, some are no bigger than a pencil eraser.
In April last year, Chinese authorities introduced new regulations requiring hotel operators to conduct regular inspections to detect and remove hidden cameras.
The measures were part of a broader attempt to curb what has become a recurring concern on social media, especially among women sharing tips on how to spot hidden devices. Some travelers have even resorted to setting up tents inside hotel rooms to protect themselves from possible surveillance. Despite these efforts, cases continue to surface. For Eric and Emily, the impact has been personal and lasting. The footage is still circulating online, and knowing that their private moments were recorded and distributed without consent has changed the way they approach travel and privacy.
