Over 2.5 Million People Have Watched This Woman's "Scary" Warning About Hidden Cameras, And It's A Must-Watch For All Women

Jennifer Moxley (@asksunshinemedia), a videographer and communications strategist, precocious went viral for revealing a "concerning" world that captured the attraction of over 2.5 cardinal people connected TikTok — and it mightiness conscionable alteration however you attack information adjacent clip you're traveling.

@asksunshinemedia / Via tiktok.com

In the video, Jennifer gives a connection to women to beryllium alert of being unknowingly recorded done hidden surveillance, particularly erstwhile staying astatine someone's location oregon renting a spot done a level similar Airbnb.

She writes successful the caption: "Ladies stock with your friends truthful they tin besides beryllium alert of however tiny and hidden cameras are, on with however precocious prime the video is. Be harmless retired there."

"This is simply a camera," she begins, holding up what looks similar a nondescript USB charger, "and idiosyncratic tin plug this into immoderate socket and grounds colour video astatine 1080 p with audio."

Jennifer adds that the merchandise is "illegally signaling audio," based connected its acquisition manual and Amazon policies.

She demonstrates however intelligibly the tiny camera tin prime up video and dependable by signaling herself astatine location and past playing the clip connected her laptop.

In the recording, erstwhile she moves into different portion of the room, the instrumentality adjacent adjusts the lighting to get a amended view. "It fundamentally tin seizure my full house," she says.

The camera is acceptable up by being plugged into an outlet — again, similar immoderate mean charger — and determination are immoderate wide concerns to deliberation about. As Jennifer reveals, "Because this plugs into the wall, the camera artillery volition ne'er die. And evidently, it records connected a loop, truthful it volition conscionable grounds implicit its ain representation paper again. So essentially, it doesn't tally retired of space."

"Yet different crushed wherefore we should not beryllium going into men's homes. And double-check your Airbnbs."

Of course, successful the property of Ring cameras and astute location tech, surveillance tin beryllium adjuvant tools to support you and your spot safe, but arsenic radical highlighted their concerns successful the comments, this benignant of exertion tin beryllium — and has been — abused by others.

One commenter wrote: "I often deliberation astir however you tin virtually beryllium recorded EVERYWHERE. I unrecorded successful a tiny town, having a speech connected a stroll could get recorded walking past anyone's house. Privacy is nonexistent."

Some women expressed however they've had creepy men usage hidden cameras connected them and others they know. For example, this commenter shared however her stepfather hid a camera successful her sister's bedroom.

These commenters discovered that their exes were utilizing hidden cameras. This idiosyncratic wrote: "My ex knew everything I said successful my house. He knew which country I was in, portion helium was crossed the country. I ne'er recovered the devices but helium had them everywhere!"

Another 1 wrote: "I recovered this successful my ex's location portion I was moving out. I took it isolated and near it sitting connected the array truthful helium knew I knew."

BuzzFeed reached retired to Jennifer, who shared that she had "an uncomfortable experience" with a attraction antheral successful her home, which led to her getting the hidden camera for security. "A household subordinate who has a subject inheritance got maine a Ring camera and past asked if I wanted a hidden camera successful a USB charger," she said. "As a videographer who erstwhile carried a 15-pound camera for enactment and saw the improvement of HD to 4K, I was funny astir the prime of the hidden tiny camera."

After being amazed by the high-quality video that the tiny camera could capture, Jennifer considered the information hazard this could airs — particularly for women. "As women, we each cognize the imaginable for men to secretly movie backstage situations is there. Think backmost to Mariah Carey's opus 'Touch My Body' from 2008, wherever she references the conception of a antheral secretly filming."

Jennifer is the proprietor of Sunshine Media Network and runs the nonprofit She Dreams In Color Foundation, which focuses connected women's health. Over the years, she's faced galore enactment experiences of women being filmed without their consent. "I was a quality newsman for galore years and covered many, galore stories of men secretly signaling intimate moments some successful homes and successful nationalist spaces."

"I've volunteered with and done video projects with quality trafficking survivors from astir the world, and I instrumentality educating others astir imaginable harms to look for precise seriously."

Despite the captious informing Jennifer gave online, determination has been immoderate pushback. "There's ever a fistful of men who are offended a pistillate would suggest that women are successful information of men with nefarious motives. To that, I say, statistic of gender-based violence enactment anyone's prioritized attraction to preventing harm caused by men," she said. "And with immoderate PSA benignant of video, determination are radical who judge sharing the accusation to support others lone informs those with malicious intent of the possibility. Personally, I would alternatively cognize what could perchance hap truthful I tin amended support myself."

Based connected her experiences and knowledge, Jennifer has taken her ain information precautions regarding travel: "I stopped staying successful rental location properties and went backmost to booking hotels due to the fact that determination seemed to beryllium an summation successful stories of concealed peeping and devices and different unsettling experiences."

To larn much astir identifying hidden cameras and staying harmless portion traveling, we contacted information adept Joe LaSorsa, CEO of LaSorsa and Associates, specializing successful enforcement protection, information consulting, and method surveillance countermeasures (TSCM).

Similar to the charger Jennifer showed successful her video, these devices are often "disguised arsenic mundane objects," Joe says. "Hidden cameras are typically positioned to seizure high-traffic areas, entryways, etc., and you should besides see what the camera's relation is intending to spot oregon record, arsenic they volition spot it wherever it tin get the champion presumption of that area."

So, adjacent clip you're staying determination caller and privation to support your information successful mind, present are Joe's recommended steps to spot a hidden camera successful an indoor space, similar a location oregon Airbnb:

1) "Physical inspection — look for devices that person a powerfulness root arsenic they are the astir apt items to person a hidden camera. Look for objects similar fume detectors, clocks, aerial purifiers, USB chargers, etc. Inspect the object, looking for thing antithetic similar a QR codification connected it oregon a USB larboard — thing that the instrumentality would not usually have."

2) "Check for tiny lenses — Shine a flashlight astir the room; camera lenses often bespeak light, making them easier to spot."

3) "Turn disconnected the lights — Many cameras person infrared (IR) LEDs for nighttime vision, which tin emit a faint reddish oregon greenish glow successful acheronian conditions."

4) "Scan the Wi-Fi web — Use web scanning apps similar Fing oregon Net Analyzer to observe chartless connected devices. Keep successful caput that wired cameras won't look connected Wi-Fi."

5) "Use a detection instrumentality — RF detectors oregon lens finders tin assistance observe wireless signals oregon assistance place camera lenses."

And if you do find a hidden camera, here's what you should do, according to Joe:

1) "Document the camera — Take photos oregon videos of the device, its placement, and immoderate suspicious wiring oregon components."

2) "Do not destruct it – Avoid removing oregon destroying the camera; it is idiosyncratic else's property."

3) "Unplug It — One of the champion things to bash is simply unplug and/or screen it."

4) "Report to the authorities — Contact the rental level (e.g., Airbnb) to record a ailment and travel their guidance."

Joe added that it's important to cognize your rights and what's not allowed regarding information connected the spot you're staying. "In astir places, hidden cameras are amerciable successful backstage areas similar bedrooms and bathrooms, and now, ample providers of rental properties (like Airbnb) are prohibiting indoor cameras."

"Assume immoderate level of surveillance. Smart location tech (like doorbells, thermostats, and speakers) is truthful common, and you would privation immoderate basal surveillance (within regulations) of your property. Understand that the quality of renting idiosyncratic else's spot comes with immoderate level of surveillance. So, recognize this, and effort to bask your stay!"

Ultimately, Jennifer hopes her PSA volition rise consciousness astir however these hidden surveillance devices are much accessible than ever, encouraging radical to instrumentality the indispensable precautions.

"I'm successful my precocious 40s present and was successful a batch of scary situations successful my 20s and 30s due to the fact that I didn't person entree to societal media and stories of others of what reddish flags look like, what boundaries are good to clasp onto, and however genuinely 'good men' behave and respond erstwhile you workout requests for your idiosyncratic safety," she said.

"Social media has been a large root of learning from those who've been determination that we whitethorn not person successful our day-to-day life."

"If thing feels off, we should spot our intuition. ... I bash anticipation women proceed to heed the stories of different women's lived experiences."

To support up with Jennifer and her work, you tin cheque retired her TikTok, Instagram, and nonprofit, She Dreams In Color here.