A Hong Kong man and his girlfriend were secretly filmed in a Shenzhen hotel room.

A man from Hong Kong has described the shock of discovering that a secretly recorded video of himself and his girlfriend inside a hotel room in Shenzhen had been uploaded to an adult website without their consent. The man, identified by the pseudonym Eric, told the BBC that the footage was filmed in 2023 during a stay in southern China. Weeks later, while browsing a voyeurism site he had visited for years, he recognised the hotel room, and then realised the couple in the video were him and his partner. The clip, edited into an hour-long video, showed the pair entering the room, unpacking their belongings and later engaging in intimate activity. The recording had been made using a concealed camera inside the hotel room. Neither of them had been aware they were being filmed.

From viewer to victim

Eric said he had been drawn to so-called “spy cam” pornography since he was a teenager. He described being attracted to what he perceived as its authenticity. “What drew me in is the fact that the people don’t know they’re being filmed,” he told the BBC World Service. “I think traditional porn feels very staged, very fake.” He said he found the footage of himself and his girlfriend roughly three weeks after their hotel stay. At first, he watched out of curiosity. It quickly became clear that the room, the timing and the sequence of events matched their trip. When he told his partner, referred to as Emily, she initially thought he was joking. After seeing the video herself, she became distressed, fearing that colleagues, friends or family members might have already seen it online. According to reporting by the BBC, the couple avoided speaking to each other for weeks after the discovery. They now take additional precautions in public and try to avoid staying in hotels where possible. Eric said the experience has changed his relationship with the content he once consumed. He no longer visits those websites, except occasionally to check whether the video has reappeared.

A widespread problem

Producing and distributing pornography is illegal in China, and voyeurism, including recording individuals without their consent in private settings, can lead to criminal charges, fines and imprisonment. Despite this, hidden-camera pornography has circulated in the country for over a decade. Such 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 “spy cam” videos available online. Across six websites examined, the broadcaster identified more than 180 active hidden cameras recording or livestreaming from hotel rooms across China.These clandestine devices can be as small as a pencil eraser. Investigators found that some go live automatically when guests insert their room key cards. Operators reportedly recruit subscribers through social media and charge monthly fees of around 450 yuan (approximately £47) for access.

Concealed hotel cameras are tiny, some barely larger 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 social media concern, particularly among women sharing advice on how to spot concealed devices. Some travellers have even resorted to pitching tents inside hotel rooms to shield themselves from potential surveillance. Despite those efforts, cases continue to surface. For Eric and Emily, the impact has been personal and ongoing. The footage remains online in circulation, and the knowledge that their private moments were recorded and distributed without consent has altered how they approach travel and privacy.