“This is a whole online community which is essentially taking advantage of and betraying women’s privacy.”
A new documentary has found online communities of thousands of men who are trading explicit images of women, taken without their consent.
The BBC documentary Hunting the Spycammers, presented by Jess Davies, author of No one Wants to See your Dick, reveals a hidden online voyeurism community. A community where consent is brushed under the carpet.
“This is a world that unfortunately is so much bigger than I ever imagined and that is someone who is a campaigner, survivor in the space of image-based abuse,” said Jess.
The documentary, available on BBC iPlayer, investigated a website called amateur voyeurs.
“In one forum alone, there were half a million members where most men were trading images, videos or tips of women being filmed without their consent, using hidden cameras and encouraging each other, trading different livestreams,” said Jess.
Adding: “This is a whole online community which is essentially taking advantage of and betraying women’s privacy.”
Jess, who is a survivor of image-based abuse, has her own experiences of voyeurism.
“Until this documentary it didn’t really click that that was what it was.”
At university, Jess had a naked picture taken of her while she was asleep by a man she was dating. He put it on a group chat with his friends, total strangers to Jess, without her consent.
“It wasn’t until during this investigation that I was on these forums, seeing these threads titled like ‘sleeping girls exposed’ and ‘unaware girlfriends’ that I thought, oh my gosh, that is what happened to me. That could be a space where my images end up,” said Jess.
The documentary found how discreet hidden cameras disguised as ordinary household items such as speakers and phone chargers were easily accessible to buy online.
“They were hidden in things like air fresheners, pens; we ordered some off of marketplaces online that were very accessible,” she said.
Jess says women are having to navigate the modern dating scene knowing this terrifying reality.
“It is really difficult to be a woman at the moment. We never wanted to make this documentary to scare people, but also it is the reality,” she said.
Adding: “These are everyday men that we might go to work with, you’re sat next to in the office.”
One of the most shocking revelations was a man they spoke to who said he had taken betraying his wife “to a new level”.
He set up a livestream of his wife, unknown to her, and broadcast it to men online.
“There is someone else who is a total stranger to you, watching you through a livestream that your husband has set up. It is unfathomable,” said Jess.
If you think you have been a victim of online image abuse, this is a crime, and you can report it to the police.
And if you are in the UK, you can call the Revenge Porn Help Line on 0345 6000 459 for support and advice.
