CCTV News (Reporter Kan Chunyu): More than 1,000 hacked cameras silently spy on people's every move in private spaces, family bedrooms, hotel rooms and even bathrooms... Such camera accounts are being exchanged with each other in secret group chats Exchange, spread publicly.
"I want to see the right bed." "Are there any hotel boutiques?" Similar conversations abound in the sneak shot groups, and there is no taboo.
This is a case involving a hacking into a web camera by Lu Yetao, deputy squadron of the Net Security Brigade of the Wujin Branch of the Public Security Bureau of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It only costs a few tens of dollars, but if it is a pinhole camera set up by itself, an account password can be sold for a few hundred dollars."
What's more, the camera account will be marked according to the "good or bad" of the installation point, and even the "customer" will be verified before the transaction.
Everyone knows that sneak shots are often hidden in hotels, homestays, bathrooms, toilets, fitting rooms, wall plugs, clocks, light holes, and air-conditioning outlets. As everyone knows, sneak shots have long been transformed into power banks, lighters, tissue boxes, and glasses. , Handbags, car keys, pens, shoes and even hooks, Coke bottles and other more inconspicuous small objects, but also mobile, even more difficult to guard against.
"Basically, anything you can think of can be produced according to your customization." Wang Hongyu, captain of the Network Security Brigade of the Urban-Rural Integration Demonstration Zone in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, sighed.
The news that ordinary people have been voyeurized for a long time appeared on the hot search, weakening the public's sense of social security.
How to make the hateful candid black production really disappear?
Hiding in the dark
In 11 years, He Zhi, an anti-candid camera hunter, found more than 3,000 stolen devices in secret corners. To be precise, there were more than 1,000 pinhole lenses.
As the person in charge of a security company, he summarized a set of methods for discovering sneak shots, and also equipped several sets of professional equipment at a high price.
"The hotel room is relatively simple. The air-conditioning vents, smoke alarms, decorations around the walls, desk lamps beside the bed, plus various jacks and the underside of the TV. Check these places and basically eliminate them. Yes. There will be a bathroom in the big deal."
There are more places to pay attention to in newly moved apartments.
"You must pay attention to the place where the power supply is connected for a long time. There are also the mezzanine of the ceiling, the surrounding of the bed, the air-conditioning line pipe, the wall plug and the hook that will not be used for a long time, and the ceiling of the bathroom is a hidden wiring place. Pay special attention to the weird screws."
In addition, we cannot relax our vigilance in public.
The connection between the toilet outlet and the toilet lid of the public restroom is also the point where the camera is hidden.
He Zhihui concluded that people who secretly take photos on escalators or in public baths often maintain a still posture, "because only when they are still, the picture is clear."
At this time, you must be especially careful about shoe uppers or umbrellas that extend under your feet.
Among the many camera detection methods on the Internet, Lu Yetao recommends infrared thermometers: "When the camera is working, the power supply will definitely heat up. It can be found at a certain distance. It does not need to be very close to other methods. It’s easy to use, and the testing technology is not very demanding, so it’s more convenient for us ordinary people."
He Zhihui’s client mistakenly regarded the flashing smoke alarm as a sneak shot in the hotel. “It was a nightmare, and finally the alarm was broken down, only to realize that it was a false alarm.”
In fact, the real pinhole camera does not have lights flickering, you only need to pay attention to whether there are circular reflective spots in the strange small holes to identify it.
This somewhat exaggerated example has become a footnote to the worries of ordinary people today.
As Yu Chong, an associate professor at the School of Criminal Justice of China University of Political Science and Law, said: “We don’t dare to undress or take a bath when we go to a hotel. Do you still have the dignity?"
Governance
Wang Hongyu summarized: "From the production of secret photography equipment to the downstream links, there is one thing in common. The transmission of pornography, infringement of citizens' privacy, and the illegal production and sale of special equipment for eavesdropping and eavesdropping are basically illegal and criminal."
In 2015, the Ministry of Public Security and other three departments jointly issued the "Provisions on Prohibiting the Illegal Production and Sale of Special Equipment for Eavesdropping and Photographing and "Pseudo Base Station" Equipment". This document defines special equipment for eavesdropping and photographing and includes illegal production and sales The scope of administrative penalties.
If the situation is more serious, it may be suspected of crime.
"The complete chain of sneak shots can be roughly divided into two. One is that the suspect uses his own illegal camera to sneak shots and record, such as installing eavesdropping equipment in a hotel, which may involve the crime of illegally using special equipment for eavesdropping and eavesdropping; One is that the suspect has intruded into someone else’s legal camera to take pictures and secretly record, such as illegally controlling a home network camera, it may involve providing intrusion, illegally controlling computer information system program tools, illegally obtaining computer information system data, illegally controlling computer information systems, etc. If secretly photographed and secretly recorded videos and pictures are spread and sold online, it may also involve the crime of spreading obscene materials, the crime of spreading obscene materials for profit, etc." Lu Yetao concluded.
"If you pry into the privacy of others and then commit extortion, you may also be suspected of extortion." Wang Hongyu added.
Since 2012, there are cases in Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Zhejiang, and Shanghai where suspects have been sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment for illegally using special equipment for wiretapping and photo theft. According to Yu Chong, the latest one is in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. Hiddenly installed in a hotel room to secretly photograph the privacy of in-house customers, and sold multiple camera accounts to multiple people, for a profit of more than 10,000 yuan, and was eventually sentenced to 6 months in prison.
From May to August this year, the Central Cyberspace Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration of Market Supervision worked together to promote the centralized management of illegal products such as camera peeping. From production, sales, use to dissemination, the secret photography of illegal products was carried out. Full chain combat.
He Zhihui, the person in charge of a security company who has been engaged in the anti-candid camera business for more than ten years, has felt the positive changes: "In recent years, we have slowly discovered that pinhole lenses are no longer available in the ordinary electronic market. After being sentenced, our country is still doing very well in this regard."
To be improved
"The most difficult thing about cracking down on the hidden camera industry chain is that this behavior is inherently flexible and concealed. The suspect can engage in equipment modification, secret camera and secret recording activities at any time, place, and object, which is really hard to prevent." Lu Yetao sighed.
After the suspect arrives in the case, can the equipment used by the suspect be successfully seized and confiscated? Can it be recognized as special equipment for wiretapping and photographing after being confiscated? How to fix the illegally obtained and illegally controlled camera accounts and other electronic evidence? Questions such as how to characterize behavior and the application of law are bothering the police handling the case.
The technical threshold for production and modification of sneak shot equipment is very low. Lu Yetao said: “A single hardware module is very easy to buy online and offline, and it is relatively common. It only needs a little assembly and debugging to sell as finished product.”
The secret filming has realized the separation of man and machine. Wang Hongyu said: "Even if the occupants are very alert and discover the hidden camera, we are limited to confiscating the equipment when we go to the scene. It is very difficult to find out who installed it. "
Article 284 of the "Criminal Law" stipulates that illegal use of special equipment for wiretapping or photo theft, causing serious consequences, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years, criminal detention or surveillance.
Lu Yetao said: "At present, our criminal law has not provided a clear explanation for'causing serious consequences.' We are also questionable in law enforcement and handling of cases whether we will pursue criminal responsibility for the consequences of use."
Yu Chong called for a clear judicial explanation on the crime of illegally using special equipment for wiretapping and photo theft.
He believes that the "serious consequences" should be considered in terms of the number of equipment used and the consequences of social harm.
"Generally, as long as they secretly record and secretly photograph, it is absolutely impossible to secretly photograph one or two. It may be more than tens of thousands. The number of photographs and the amount of storage can be regarded as serious harmful consequences, or serious social public opinion. A comprehensive identification of the major concerns of the society."
In addition, when the police are investigating related cases, they need to hand over the confiscated equipment to official agencies for appraisal.
Lu Yetao said that if the equipment has not been identified as special equipment for wiretapping and photographing, there will be no follow-up criminal law accountability.
Most of the time, the punishment for the participants in the secret filming industry stops at the punishment of public security management.
According to the "Public Security Administration Punishment Law", anyone who voyeurizes, secretly photographs, eavesdrops, or spreads the privacy of others shall be detained for less than 5 days or a fine of less than 500 yuan; if the circumstances are more serious, detained for more than 5 days but less than 10 days, and may be concurrently sentenced to 500 yuan The following is fine.
"People who buy camera viewing rights, because most people are to satisfy their own voyeuristic desires for their own viewing and use, and the number of controls is not very large. In reality, most of them because of lack of evidence, the punishment is often very light, and they can only be used for education. Warning and handling.” Lu Yetao said, “We found that the social impact and punishment of this type of crime are indeed disproportionate. The punishment for them is still slightly slight.”
Wang Hongyu concluded: "The lawbreakers actually know that they are breaking the law, but because the investment is small, the benefits are high, and the cost of crime is low, even if caught, the punishment cannot keep up. Under the temptation of high profits, the lawbreakers will Take the risk seriously."
Multipronged
According to Yu Chong, the camera, as a neutral tool, is like a kitchen knife. In extreme cases, the murder weapon is actually a cooking tool.
"It itself is not an illegal or criminal tool. We have all carried out control in the production and sales process. For a neutral tool like a camera, even if it is not an illegal device, it has its legitimate uses, but we are also in the production and sales process. Strict control should be carried out."
In addition, Yu Chong thought a lot.
"First, we must further clarify the scope of special equipment for eavesdropping and eavesdropping. Officials and sales platforms must strengthen the supervision of such equipment. Second, we must improve the technical standards of cameras to avoid the large-scale circulation of inferior secret photography equipment through the Internet, and at the same time prevent home cameras from being illegal. After trespassing and illegal control, they were sneaked and photographed. In addition, is it possible to set up a blacklist of secretly photographed and secretly recorded? They shall be subject to relevant qualifications and restrictions on access to special places." Yu Chong also proposed that hotel and homestay operators should be used The house lessor assumes the obligation of safety protection, “It is necessary to ensure that housing facilities do not have the risk of infringing on the privacy of the occupants, and these entities are required to perform their safety protection obligations and increase the liability cost. Once they cannot perform, they must bear strict liability for compensation, even Liability for violation of the law."
He Zhihui's customers are distributed in all walks of life, but hotel room inspection is rare.
"They did an inspection today, which can only mean that it is safe tonight. It is not necessarily tomorrow. Maybe people who live in today will install a pinhole camera." Therefore, he advised the hotel cleaning staff to clean the rooms every day. Increase the camera detection link, "In fact, the hotel room detection is very easy, you can check it by the way when doing sanitation."
Lu Yetao believes that cameras should be the source of secret photography as the focus of governance: "This requires us to be prepared with both hands, not only to severely crack down on illegal camera production sites, but also to recommend relevant companies to improve the security strategy of regular cameras. I believe that without the support of these cameras, no matter how clever the secret shooting and recording methods are, it will inevitably be unsustainable."