China’s Spy-Cam Porn Industry Exposed

China’s long-running problem with so-called “spy-cam porn” has resurfaced in stark detail after a BBC World Service investigation revealed how hidden cameras in hotel rooms continue to capture and sell guests’ most intimate moments to thousands of online viewers.

Filmed Without Consent

The BBC reported that one victim, identified as Eric, discovered that a hotel stay he shared with his girlfriend in Shenzhen in 2023 had been secretly recorded and uploaded to a pornographic channel. The footage showed the couple entering the room, setting down their bags and later having sex — all without their knowledge.

Eric, who had previously consumed secretly filmed pornography, realised he had become part of the same supply chain he once watched. When he informed his girlfriend, Emily, she initially thought it was a joke. After seeing the footage herself, she became deeply distressed, fearing it may have been viewed by colleagues or family members. The couple stopped speaking for weeks.

A Growing Underground Industry

According to the BBC, so-called spy-cam pornography has existed in China for at least a decade, despite strict laws banning the production and distribution of porn. In recent years, awareness has grown on Chinese social media, with users — particularly women — sharing tips on how to detect cameras and, in extreme cases, setting up tents inside hotel rooms for privacy.

In April last year, Chinese authorities introduced new regulations requiring hotels to conduct regular inspections for hidden cameras. However, the BBC found that the practice remains widespread.

Hundreds of Cameras, Thousands of Victims

The BBC investigation identified six websites and apps promoted primarily through Telegram, a platform banned in China but widely used for illicit activity. Together, these platforms claimed to operate more than 180 hidden cameras in hotel rooms, many of which livestreamed guests’ activities.

Monitoring one platform for seven months, the BBC found footage from 54 different cameras, with around half active at any given time. Based on typical hotel occupancy rates, the BBC estimates that thousands of guests may have been filmed during that period alone, most without ever knowing.

Inside the Supply Chain: AKA and the “Camera Owners”

One of the most prominent agents identified by the BBC was known as “AKA.” Posing as a consumer, the BBC paid a monthly subscription of 450 yuan ($65) to access a livestreaming website promoted by AKA.

Subscribers could choose between multiple live feeds showing different hotel rooms, rewind footage from the moment guests activated the electricity, and download archived clips. On Telegram, AKA managed channels with up to 10,000 members, while his video archive contained more than 6,000 clips dating back to 2017.

According to the BBC, AKA and similar agents appeared to work on behalf of higher-level figures referred to as “camera owners,” who arranged installations and controlled the livestreaming platforms. During one exchange, AKA accidentally shared a message from an alleged camera owner known as “Brother Chun,” before deleting it.

Tracing a Camera to a Hotel Room

BBC researchers were able to trace one hidden camera to a hotel room in Zhengzhou, central China, by piecing together clues from subscribers, online posts and on-the-ground investigation. The camera was found hidden inside a wall ventilation unit, wired directly into the building’s electricity supply and aimed at the bed.

A commercially available hidden-camera detector failed to identify the device. After the camera was disabled, subscribers quickly noticed its disappearance.

“Zhonghua got taken down,” one user wrote on Telegram. AKA replied that it was “a shame,” praising the room’s sound quality. Within hours, he announced that a replacement camera in another hotel had gone live.

Profits and Weak Enforcement

Based on subscription fees and channel membership, the BBC estimates that AKA alone earned at least 163,200 yuan ($22,000) in under a year — several times China’s average annual income, which stood at 43,377 yuan last year.

Despite strict rules governing surveillance devices, the BBC found it was relatively easy to purchase spy cameras at major electronics markets. Legal cases related to spy-cam pornography were found across China, though detailed court data has become harder to access in recent years.

Platforms Under Scrutiny

Advocacy groups cited by the BBC say removing non-consensual footage remains extremely difficult. Telegram, they say, rarely responds to takedown requests, forcing victims to appeal directly to group administrators.

After being contacted by the BBC, Telegram said sharing non-consensual pornography violates its terms and that it removes millions of harmful posts daily. However, the livestreaming website accessed by the BBC remained operational.

Lasting Trauma

Eric and Emily remain traumatised by the experience, the BBC reported. They avoid hotels, wear hats in public to avoid recognition and live with the fear that the footage could resurface online.

The BBC’s investigation concludes that while regulations and awareness have increased, China’s spy-cam porn industry continues to exploit enforcement gaps, technology platforms and unsuspecting victims on a massive scale.