Hidden camera

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8 mm x 8 mm lens with a built-in image sensor, used for a mini camcorder Lens of Mini Camcorder.jpg
8 mm × 8 mm lens with a built-in image sensor, used for a mini camcorder

A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object. Hidden cameras are often considered a surveillance tool.

Contents

The term "hidden camera" is commonly used when subjects are unaware that they are being recorded, usually lacking their knowledge and consent; the term "spy camera" is generally used when the subject would object to being recorded if they were aware of the camera's presence. In contrast, the phrase "security camera" refers to cameras that are visible and/or are accompanied by a warning notice of their presence, so the subject is aware of the camera's presence and knows they are being filmed.[ citation needed ]

The use of hidden cameras raises personal privacy issues. There may be legal aspects to consider, depending on the jurisdiction in which they are used.

Description

A hidden camera can be wired or wireless. Hidden cameras connected, by cable or wirelessly, to a viewing or recording device, such as a television, computer, videocassette recorder, network video recorder, digital video recorder, memory card, or another data storage medium. They may also store their images or recordings online, such as through a livestream. Hidden video cameras may or may not have audio recording capabilities. Hidden cameras may be activated manually, remotely, or through motion detection.

A hidden camera may not be visible to the subject, for example, because it is fitted with a long-focus lens and located beyond the view of the subject, or because it is obscured or hidden by an object, such as a one-way mirror. Hidden cameras can be built into a wide variety of items, ranging from electronics (television sets, smoke detectors, clocks, motion detectors, mobile phones, personal computers) to everyday objects where electronics are not expected to be found (stationery, plants, glasses, clothing, street lights [1] ).

Use

Common applications for hidden cameras are property security, personal surveillance, photography, or entertainment purposes, though they may also be used for espionage or surveillance by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, corporations, or other entities. They may also be used for illegal activity, such as criminal scope-outs, stalking, or voyeurism.

Hidden cameras may be installed within common household objects for parents to monitor and record the activities of nannies and sometimes the children themselves. These hidden cameras are commonly referred to as "nanny cams". The use nanny cams can be a subject of controversy. For example, a 2003 criminal case in Florida, involving a nanny that was allegedly caught by a nanny cam violently shaking a baby, was thrown out in 2006 when the video was considered "worthless evidence"; however, this was due to issues regarding video quality, not legality, and several earlier cases used clearer nanny cam footage as evidence. [2] Some hidden camera television shows have also led to lawsuits or the cancellation of episodes by the people who were trapped in set-ups that they found unpleasant. [ citation needed ]

Hidden cameras are sometimes placed in holiday rental apartments such as those advertised on Airbnb. Questions have been raised about the safety and privacy of holidaymakers in these circumstances. [3]

In media

Hidden cameras are sometimes used in reality television and social media, where they are used to catch participants in unusual or absurd situations. Participants will either know they will be filmed, but not always exactly when or where; or they will not know they have been filmed until later, at which point they may sign a release or give consent to the footage being produced for a show. This latter subgenre of unwitting participants began in the 1940s with Allen Funt's Candid Microphone theatrical short films. In 1996 the genre was given an overhaul by Travis Draft who introduced the glasses cam with his show Buzzkill. The show took a hidden camera to a whole new level where the performer was the focal point.

Examples of use of hidden cameras in television shows
Show NameChannelYears of ProductionNumber of Episodes
$25 Million Dollar Hoax NBC 20043
Animal Kidding Animal Planet 200316
Balls of Steel Channel 4 200519
Beadle's About ITV 1986–199694
Boiling Points MTV 2003–2005
Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty Oxygen 200614
Burned MTV200330
Buzzkill MTV1995
Candid Camera ABC/NBC/CBS/PAX1948–1954, 1960–1967, 1987–1988, 1996–20041,000+
The Carbonaro Effect truTV201427
Celebrity Undercover MTV20
Cheaters
Crossballs: The Debate Show Comedy Central
Da Ali G Show Channel 4
Damage Control MTV200516
Dirty Sexy Funny: Olivia Lee Comedy Central UK 8
Faking the Video MTV20047
Fire Me...Please CBS20054
Fool Britannia ITV2012
Fool Canada CBC2015
Freak Out Freeform2014–2015
Funny Business
Girls Behaving Badly Oxygen2002–200772
Guys Behaving Badly Oxygen20055
Hi-Jinks NIK2005
Hidden Howie: The Private Life of a Public Nuisance BRAVO20056
Impractical Jokers truTV 2011–143
Infarto Azteca América 2005
Instant Recall GSN20108
Invasion of the Hidden Cameras (When Hidden Cameras Attack) FOX12
I'm Spazticus Channel 4 2012–10
Jamie Kennedy Experiment WB2003
Just for Laughs Gags 20003,000+
Just Kidding 2012
Kids Behaving Badly Oxygen200510
Laugh Out Loud [4] M-Net
Meet the Marks FOX20027
MotorMouth VH1
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé
Naked Camera RTÉ Two 2005–200718
Oblivious
People Traps Animal Planet20021
Peter Jacobsen Plugged In
Punk'd MTV2003–2007, 20126
PrankStars Disney Channel2011–20166
Que Locura Venevisión 2001
Rank the Prank CBBC2016
ROOM 401 MTV2007
The Real Wedding Crashers NBC20076
Really Naked Truth Playboy22
Red Handed UPN1999
Red Light Districts Outdoor Life Network 2003–200414
Scare Tactics Syfy 2003
Show Me the Funny FOX1998155
Skunked TV NBC200413
Sledgehammer VH120015
Spy TV NBC200127
Taxicab Confessions HBO1995
That's Funny 200480
Totally Hidden Extreme Magic NBC2
Totally Busted PlayboyTV2003
Totally Hidden Video FOX1989
Tourist Traps 20016
Trapped in TV Guide TVG2006
Trigger Happy TV UK 2000/US 200313
TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes
Ultimate Revenge TNN/SPIKE200126
Videomatch Telefé (Argentina)1991–2004
What Would You Do? ABCsince 2009
World Shut Your Mouth BBC20057
Walk the Prank Disney XD2016
Wow Mali/Wow Mali Pa Rin! [5] TV5 since 1996
You're On! Nickelodeon1998
You've Got a Friend (My New Best Friend) MTV20048

South Korea

In South Korea, hidden cameras (abbreviated to Molka in Korean) proliferated in the 2010s and enabled the spread of voyeuristic images and videos. The term Molka can refer to both the actual cameras as well as the footage posted online. [6]

United Kingdom

The use of hidden cameras is generally permitted under UK law, if used in a legal manner and towards legitimate ends. Individuals may use covert surveillance in their own home, in the workplace for employee monitoring, outside of a domestic or commercial property for security purposes and in security situations where there may be a need to do so. There are a number of laws under the Data Protection Act and Human Rights Acts that may affect the use of hidden cameras. [7]

In any type of covert surveillance, footage should only be used for the purpose for which it has been taken, which must be a legitimate security reason. The person in possession of the footage is responsible for its use, and must only retain footage for as long as it is reasonably needed. It is not permitted to release the footage to third parties except when there is a legal necessity.

It is illegal under UK law to deploy covert cameras in areas where individuals would have an expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms. It is also illegal to place hidden cameras in someone else's home or on someone else's property.

United States

In the United States, the purchase, ownership, and use of hidden cameras and nanny cams is generally considered legal in all 50 states. However, U.S. Code Title 18, Chapter 119, Section 2512 prohibits the interception of oral communication by "surreptitious manner" such as a hidden recording device, and so most hidden video cameras are not available with audio recording. [8] Additionally, it is illegal in 13 states to record audio without express or written consent of the nanny being recorded. Despite this, some hidden cameras are still sold in the United States with audio recording capabilities, though their use is illegal and their recordings cannot legally be used as evidence.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closed-circuit television</span> Use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors

Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point-to-point (P2P), point-to-multipoint (P2MP), or mesh wired or wireless links. Even though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that require additional security or ongoing monitoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surveillance</span> Monitoring something for the purposes of influencing, protecting, or suppressing it

Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV), or interception of electronically transmitted information like Internet traffic. It can also include simple technical methods, such as human intelligence gathering and postal interception.

A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and police investigations.

Upskirting or upskirt photography is the practice of taking nonconsensual photographs under a person's skirt or kilt, capturing an image of the crotch area, underwear, and sometimes genitalia. An "upskirt" is a photograph, video, or illustration which incorporates such an image, although the term may also be used to refer to the area of the body inside a skirt, usually from below and while being worn.

Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on an analog telephone or telegraph line. Legal wiretapping by a government agency is also called lawful interception. Passive wiretapping monitors or records the traffic, while active wiretapping alters or otherwise affects it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sousveillance</span> Recording of an activity by a participant

Sousveillance is the recording of an activity by a member of the public, rather than a person or organisation in authority, typically by way of small wearable or portable personal technologies. The term, coined by Steve Mann, stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye-in-the-sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bringing the means of observation down to human level, either physically or hierarchically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby monitor</span> Radio system for remotely listening to a child

A baby monitor, also known as a baby alarm, is a radio system used to remotely listen to sounds made by an infant. An audio monitor consists of a transmitter unit, equipped with a microphone, placed near to the child. It transmits the sounds by radio waves to a receiver unit with a speaker carried by, or near to, the person caring for the infant. Some baby monitors provide two-way communication which allows the parent to speak back to the baby. Some allow music to be played to the child. A monitor with a video camera and receiver is often called a baby cam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tradecraft</span> Espionage techniques

Tradecraft, within the intelligence community, refers to the techniques, methods, and technologies used in modern espionage (spying) and generally as part of the activity of intelligence assessment. This includes general topics or techniques, or the specific techniques of a nation or organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret photography</span> Imaging or videoing an unaware subject

Secret photography is the use of an image or video recording device to photograph or film a person who is unaware that they are being intentionally photographed or filmed. It is sometimes called covert photography.

Telephone call recording laws are legislation enacted in many jurisdictions, such as countries, states, provinces, that regulate the practice of telephone call recording. Call recording or monitoring is permitted or restricted with various levels of privacy protection, law enforcement requirements, anti-fraud measures, or individual party consent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IP camera</span> Network-connected digital video camera

An Internet Protocol camera, or IP camera, is a type of digital video camera that receives control data and sends image data via an IP network. They are commonly used for surveillance, but, unlike analog closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, they require no local recording device, only a local area network. Most IP cameras are webcams, but the term IP camera or netcam usually applies only to those that can be directly accessed over a network connection.

Countersurveillance refers to measures that are usually undertaken by the public to prevent surveillance, including covert surveillance. Countersurveillance may include electronic methods such as technical surveillance counter-measures, which is the process of detecting surveillance devices. It can also include covert listening devices, visual surveillance devices, and countersurveillance software to thwart unwanted cybercrime, such as accessing computing and mobile devices for various nefarious reasons. More often than not, countersurveillance will employ a set of actions (countermeasures) that, when followed, reduce the risk of surveillance. Countersurveillance is different from sousveillance, as the latter does not necessarily aim to prevent or reduce surveillance.

Georgia wiretapping laws are regulated under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62, § 16-11-64, and § 16-11-66. The law divides wiretapping into two categories, recording conversations (audio) and recording actions.

<i>Jean v. Massachusetts State Police</i>

Jean v. Massachusetts State Police, 492 F.3d 24 is a case concerning the legality of posting a video on the internet obtained by another source through illegal means, which in this case involve use of a nanny cam to record others. The plaintiff filed for a permanent injunction against the defendants, who issued a cease-and-desist order regarding a video posted on the plaintiff's website. The defendants claimed the video was in violation of Massachusetts law M.G.L c 272 § 99, which defines the secret recording of audio without the consent of the persons recorded as interception, and subject to prosecution as a felony due to the presence of audio in the videorecording. The court's decision drew heavily off of previous court case Bartnicki v. Vopper. The court's decision held that it was legal to post such a video which was lawfully obtained from another, especially regarding a matter of public concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring (company)</span> Home security products manufacturer

Ring LLC is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by Amazon. It manufactures a titular line of smart doorbells, home security cameras, and alarm systems. It also operates Neighbors, a social network that allows users to discuss local safety and security issues, and share footage captured with Ring products. Via Neighbors, Ring may also provide footage and data to law enforcement agencies to assist in investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashcam</span> Onboard camera that records through vehicle windows

A dashboard camera or simply dashcam, also known as car digital video recorder, driving recorder, or event data recorder (EDR), is an onboard camera that continuously records the view through a vehicle's front windscreen and sometimes rear or other windows. Some dashcams include a camera to record the interior of the car in 360 degrees inside camera, usually in a ball form, and can automatically send pictures and video using 4G.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body camera</span> Video camera worn on the body

A body camera, bodycam, body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera, or wearable camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police body camera</span> Body cameras used by law enforcement

In policing equipment, a police body camera or 'wearable camera', also known as body worn video (BWV), 'body-worn camera' (BWC), or body camera, is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used by police to record events in which law enforcement officers are involved, from the perspective of the officer wearing it. They are typically worn on the torso of the body, pinned on the officer's uniform. Police body cameras are often similar to body cameras used by civilians, firefighters, or the military, but are designed to address specific requirements related to law enforcement. Body cameras were first worn by police in the United Kingdom in 2005, and have since been adopted by numerous police departments and forces worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molka</span> Korean sex crime

Molka is the Korean term for hidden cameras or miniature spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often in order to capture voyeuristic images and videos. Molka is an abbreviation of mollae-kamera, which means a sneaky camera. The expression has been originated from the homonymous title of a Korean prank TV show, which existed from March 1991 to November 1992. This makes the term denote prank and spy camera at the same time.

Kunstler v. Central Intelligence Agency is a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Undercover Global S.L., and David Morales Guillen filed by a group of American lawyers and journalists associated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The lawsuit alleged that the CIA violated their constitutional rights by recording their conversations with Assange and copying their devices after suspicions were raised that Assange was working for the Russian intelligence services.

References

  1. Rohrlich, Justin; Gershgorn, Dave (November 9, 2018). "The DEA and ICE are hiding surveillance cameras in streetlights". Quartz. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  2. "Nanny Cleared of Violently Shaking Baby". ABC News. 21 March 2006. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  3. Coffey, Helen (27 November 2023). "How to spot hidden cameras in Airbnb rental properties". Independent.
  4. "Laugh out Loud". M-Net . Retrieved 2008-01-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. Jeffrey Espiritu. "The wow in 'Wow Mali'". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  6. Gibson, Jenna. "K-Pop's Sexual Assault Scandal Is the Tip of the Iceberg". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  7. Francis, Harry. "Are Workplace Security Cameras Legal". Employee Monitoring . Retrieved 2018-10-24.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. U.S. Code Title 18, Chapter 119, Section 2512