Recently, several internet posts have caught my eye on the somewhat trending theme of hidden cameras found in hotel rooms.
Now, I have no idea whether these posts are all 100% legit, but at least a handful of these videos appear to be in surroundings that would be hard to fake, with hidden camera tech that is either down to real undercover spying or is down to an elaborate setup on behalf of the video maker. Either way, what I’m seeing is that this kind of stuff is possible, if not actually happening in hotel rooms across the world as we speak.
Gone are the days of worrying about asbestos in the hotel walls, and researching testing arrangements for Mesothelioma if you think you were exposed. No, the modern threat is covert surveillance. These cameras are button sized. Less than button sized in some cases.
Just a millimetre or two of lens hidden in the end of … well … anything stationary. A screw. A wall decoration. The edge of a mirror. Inside a smoke detector. An electrical outlet. An air filter. The air conditioning unit. Nobody suspects the air conditioning unit.
Make a walk around phone call
Cast your mind back to language lessons in school – specifically language lessons because these were the classes in which you were most likely to be close to audio equipment and notice if it was in the presence of a mobile phone. Remember? Whenever a kid in class got a text message or just whenever the phone was searching for signal, the audio equipment would start to make a sort of Morse code noise. Mobile phones pick up other electronics, so a walk around your room whilst on the phone could give you a fast audio signal that you’re being watched.
Download a hidden camera detector app
Although not perfectly attuned to pick up camera equipment, the app will be able to notify you whenever in the presence of electronics. This can be slightly problematic when checking things like the TV, but there should be no electronics in your mirror.
Use a torch
Darken your room (you might have to wait until night time) and do a sweep. Describing in words exactly what it is that you should be looking for isn’t easy, but a camera lens will reflect the light in a slightly different way to the rest of its surroundings. Sort of like if one corner of a wall fixing appears to have a green/red cat’s eye that looks completely out of place.
Finding hidden cameras isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it is completely doable with a little preparation and persistence.
