Technology

They never knew they were being filmed — on subway trains, in mall fitting rooms, on university campuses, at home.

Since late June, a Chinese-language Telegram group chat named “MaskPark Treehole Forum,” reportedly with over 103,000 members, has sparked outrage on Chinese social media for circulating obscene covert footage.

Secret intimate recordings of women and individuals having sex were captured using hidden cameras disguised as screws, power sockets, and even bottles of toilet cleaner — and those sharing them could be a colleague, a classmate, or even a family member.

The revelations triggered widespread outrage on Chinese social media, drawing broad coverage from domestic news outlets.

State-backed outlet Guangming Daily called the case “exceptionally egregious” and urged swift regulatory action in a commentary, saying: “Regulators must move faster to fill the gaps, and law enforcement mechanisms need to be strengthened. Only by doing so can we enhance the overall sense of security, free women from the fear of being watched, and make the boundaries of privacy truly inviolable.”