A BBC investigation has revealed a widespread underground industry in China that secretly films hotel guests with hidden cameras and sells the recordings as pornography, affecting thousands and causing severe privacy harm.
The problem came to light when a Hong Kong man identified only as “Eric” found a porn clip online that showed him and his girlfriend. The couple had stayed at a Shenzhen hotel in 2023 and had been unaware a covert camera in their room was recording. The footage later circulated on Telegram, a messaging app commonly used to share illicit material.
Eric told the BBC he had once watched “spy‑cam” clips because he found their “raw” quality appealing, but becoming a victim changed his view. His girlfriend, called Emily in reports, was “mortified,” worrying colleagues or family might recognise her. The couple reportedly stopped speaking for weeks because of the trauma.
Spy‑cam pornography has circulated in China for more than a decade despite legal bans on pornography and restrictions on covert surveillance devices. Public concern has grown recently, especially among women; social media users trade tips for detecting hidden cameras and some travellers have resorted to pitching tents inside rooms to avoid being filmed.
Authorities introduced tighter rules in April last year requiring hotels to conduct regular room checks for hidden devices, but the BBC’s 18‑month probe found the practice continues. Investigators tracked thousands of recent spy‑cam videos filmed in hotel rooms and sold online, with much content promoted via Telegram. Although Telegram is officially banned in China, it remains reachable through virtual private networks.
At least six websites and apps were found advertising livestreams from more than 180 hotel rooms, with paying subscribers able to watch in real time. One operator using the alias “AKA” charged about 450 yuan (roughly $65) per month for access to multiple live feeds. The report says some livestreams could trigger when guests inserted their key cards, and archived footage was available for download.
Monitoring a single platform for seven months revealed feeds from 54 different cameras, about half of which were active at any given time. Using typical hotel occupancy rates, the BBC estimates thousands of guests may have been filmed covertly during that window.
Viewers on Telegram often posted degrading comments and celebrated encounters. When a camera was discovered and disabled in a Zhengzhou hotel, subscribers complained about lost audio quality; operators reportedly replaced cameras within hours. The investigation uncovered an organised supply chain involving sales agents and “camera owners” who arrange installations and run streaming platforms. Those named did not respond to requests for comment. Some Telegram accounts were later removed, but the livestreaming sites remained online.
The BBC estimates AKA alone earned at least 163,200 yuan (about $22,000) in subscriptions since April last year — nearly four times China’s average annual income. Blue Li from Hong Kong NGO RainLily said takedown requests for non‑consensual content are rising but platforms like Telegram rarely respond, and that tech companies bear responsibility for how such material spreads. Telegram states that non‑consensual pornography violates its terms and that it proactively removes harmful content.
Victims continue to live in fear: many avoid hotels and worry the footage could resurface online, underscoring the ongoing scale and human cost of the covert filming trade.
