Pecohub The revelation of illegal filming in Chinese hotel rooms has once again shocked the public. Some guests were reportedly live-streamed in real-time while inside their rooms.
BBC reported on the 6th that it had confirmed thousands of illegally filmed videos from Chinese hotel rooms were being sold as pornography on various sites. After monitoring illegal filming sites for seven months, it was found that videos filmed by a total of 54 cameras had been uploaded.
Based on typical hotel room occupancy rates, BBC estimated that thousands of guests were filmed during this period. Most of these illegal videos were promoted through Telegram.
There were even businesses advertising with the phrase, “We have secretly installed and are operating cameras in over 180 hotel rooms.” A Telegram channel with over 10,000 members was also identified.
Live-streaming websites also existed. For a monthly subscription fee of 450 yuan (approximately 95,000 Korean won), users could watch live footage of hotel room interiors. The video would start as soon as a guest inserted their key card, supplying power.
There were also features allowing viewers to rewind the live feed from the beginning or download it as a file. Subscribers were found to monitor the rooms in real-time, evaluating guests’ appearances or scoring their sexual activities.
After collecting clues from the videos, the reporting team, accompanied by experts, searched a hotel in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, central China, suspected of having hidden cameras. They indeed found a camera in a wall ventilation unit. The camera, connected to the building’s power supply, was pointed toward the bed.
This illegal filming and distribution are understood to be systematically organized within China. While tracking intermediaries active on Telegram, BBC detected signs of a higher-level “camera owner” overseeing them. Although intermediaries distribute live-stream links in exchange for subscription fees, it is presumed that the actual camera installation, platform management, and profit distribution are controlled by upper-level operators.
The criminal organization is believed to have earned significant profits. Just one channel monitored by BBC is estimated to have made at least 163,200 yuan (approximately 34,480,000 Korean won) since April of last year. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the average annual income in China last year was 43,377 yuan (approximately 9,170,000 Korean won).
A man became a victim of illegal filming after staying with his girlfriend at a hotel in Shenzhen, southern China. Only later did he discover his image on a pornography site. The man said, “I’m still afraid our video might resurface, so I occasionally check the site.” Additionally, fearing someone might recognize them, he and his girlfriend now always wear hats in public and no longer stay at hotels.
The issue of illegal filming in Chinese hotel rooms has been emerging for years. Although the Chinese government has strengthened crackdowns, the effects seem limited. In April of last year, the government enacted an ordinance requiring hotel and lodging operators to regularly inspect for hidden cameras.
BBC stated, “The risk of being secretly filmed in the private space of a hotel room still persists,” and “While there are strict regulations on the sale and use of hidden cameras, we confirmed that purchasing them is not very difficult.”
