Gov't vows crackdown on hidden camera crimes

Police officers try detectors to find possible hidden cameras in a public restroom at Ttukseom Hangang Park in eastern Seoul, July 11. / Yonhap

Crimes grow amid evolving devices

By Kim Bo-eun

The government has declared an all-out war against crimes involving hidden cameras, amid the evolution of equipment and the growing number of such illegal acts.

“We need harsher punishment for hidden-camera based crimes and better protective measures for victims,” President Moon Jae-in said in a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.

The National Police Agency said Thursday it will conduct a one-month intensive crackdown on the illegal installation of miniature cameras in pens and watches among other items that are then sold for illicit purposes, as well as check public facilities such as restrooms for hidden equipment.

Growing crime rate

The number of hidden camera-based crimes has grown by an average of 21 percent each year since 2012, according to police data.

The largest number of crimes involved taking photographs or videos with smart phones (85.5 percent), followed by circulation of files (9.4 percent) and setting up hidden cameras and filming with them (5.1 percent).

The number of cases involving illegal filming grew from 2,412 in 2012 to 4,841 in 2013, 6,635 in 2014 and 7,615 in 2015.

Additionally, the cameras are becoming more advanced and difficult to detect.

In a crackdown from July to August, the Korea Customs Service confiscated 764 imported goods containing cameras.

The goods could not be distinguished as camera gear, as they had subminiature cameras embedded in what appeared to be car keys, a USB, glasses, a digital clock, watch, pen and lighter.

Gov’t measures for victims

The victims of hidden-camera based crimes are not only suffering from severe mental stress, they also face the hefty costs of removing the content online.

Deleting services offered by private agents usually cost 1 million to 2 million won a month.

However, the content is usually not entirely removed from the internet in a month, so victims need to pay for services for up to six months.

Requests for removal of such content to the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) have grown from 1,404 in 2014 to 3,636 in 2015 and 7,235 in 2016. A total of 2,977 cases have been requested as of July 2017. These include revenge pornography and other types of illegal footage.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday it will review measures to make circulators of illegally filmed content pay for the removal costs.

It also said it would pour 740 million won into establishing a system in which the government will provide victims with consultation services, and assistance in investigations, deleting online content and lawsuits.

Park Hyung-jin, who runs a site named “Digital Undertaker” said, “As a means to deter hidden camera-based crimes, the government needs to push forward with a measure to make perpetrators pay the content removal costs.”

He also added that the government must take swifter action to remove illegal content online.

“Once a request is made to the KCC, it takes around a month for action to be taken due to the lengthy review procedure. Over a month, the content is rapidly distributed, posing even greater harm to victims,” he said.