Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Hidden cameras are one of the things that\nmost concern travellers when they are on the go. This is because the\ndevices have been found installed in hotels, bathrooms, and other\nunexpected areas.<\/p>\n
Spycam technology is now increasingly modern and difficult to\nrecognise. With its small shape, the camera can be tucked away in almost\nany place without the victim realising it.<\/p>\n
The CEO of Singapore-based technology services company OMG Solutions,\nPieter Tjia, said that many people are selling recordings taken from\nthese cameras to porn sites, so that they can be viewed thousands of\ntimes. Therefore, it is important to know how to detect hidden cameras\naround you to protect yourself and your privacy.<\/p>\n
To find out, Tjia and his team hid 27 cameras in a house, then gave\nCNBC the devices that are usually recommended to find them.<\/p>\n
In total, CNBC conducted five rounds of testing to see which method\nwas most effective.<\/p>\n
Test 1: Using the \u2018naked eye\u2019<\/p>\n
First, examine the room using the easiest and cheapest method, namely\ntesting using the naked eye.<\/p>\n
One of the CNBC teams, Victor Loh, went from one room to another,\npaying attention to whether there was anything that looked strange or\nsuspicious. After searching for 20 minutes, he found one camera embedded\nin a wall clock because the time on the clock looked wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found one. But the room was very well camouflaged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Test 2: Using a mobile phone<\/p>\n
For this test, Victor downloaded a popular application called Fing,\nwhich scans the Wi-Fi network to look for cameras. He also used his\nmobile phone\u2019s flashlight to make it easier to see the camera lens.<\/p>\n
The application showed that there were 22 devices connected to the\nhouse\u2019s Wi-Fi but no cameras.<\/p>\n
Tjia explained that when his team installed the cameras in the house,\nthey also installed a second wireless network. They then connected the\nhidden cameras to that network, bypassing the main network of the\nhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if we didn\u2019t do this, the application would show that there\nwere cameras in the house, but not where they were located,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Victor was more fortunate using his mobile phone\u2019s flashlight. With\nthe flashlight, he found three more cameras, namely in a Wi-Fi repeater,\na button on a shirt, and a teddy bear.<\/p>\n
Tjia said that most of the hidden cameras are made in China, which\nironically is also banned in that country.<\/p>\n
Test 3: Using a radio frequency detector<\/p>\n
With only four of the 27 cameras found, it was now time to switch to\ndevices designed to find hidden cameras, such as a radio frequency\ndetector that beeps when it is close to a surveillance camera.<\/p>\n
It works when the camera is turned on and connected to Wi-Fi, meaning\nthey will not find cameras that use an SD card to store data, said\nTjia.<\/p>\n
The detector is also prone to false alarms.<\/p>\n
This device also has an internal lens detector, but the beeping sound\nproved to be so annoying that Victor did not find a single camera with\nthis device. In fact, the device beeped even when it was in a part of\nthe house where there were no cameras at all.<\/p>\n
Test 4: Using a lens detector<\/p>\n
Next, with a cheap, portable, and easy-to-use lens detector. This\ndevice emits infrared light, which is reflected back from the camera\nlens as a red dot.<\/p>\n
However, you have to be close to the camera for it to work.<\/p>\n
Although popular, Victor only found two cameras with this device,\nnamely one inside an essential oil diffuser, and the other on a Wi-Fi\nmesh device.<\/p>\n
Test 5: Using an advanced lens detector<\/p>\n
For the last test, Victor used a more advanced lens detector.<\/p>\n
Shaped like binoculars, this detector also highlights the light\nreflected from the camera lens. However, this device is able to work\nfrom a distance so that it allows Victor to see the camera from across\nthe room. It can also be in a bright or dark room.<\/p>\n
Victor found cameras in a tissue box and a leather bag, and one more\nburied among the files under the table. However, he had to look directly\nat the lens to find them.<\/p>\n
In total, he found 11 cameras with this device.<\/p>\n
The final result<\/p>\n
In total, Victor managed to find 17 of the 27 cameras. This is not a\nbad result, nor is it a good one, given the time he spent finding them\nwas not easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are travelling, you are definitely very tired. The last\nthing you want to do is spend an hour looking at every nook and cranny\njust to find a camera,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Social media posts about hidden cameras have increased by almost 400%\nin the last two years, according to data company Sprout Social. Not\nsurprisingly, many articles are dedicated to finding quick and easy\nsolutions to this growing problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in this cat-and-mouse game, hidden cameras are superior. The\ndetection tools are getting better, as are the hidden cameras,\u201d said\nTjia.<\/p>\n
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