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I hunted the men who secretly film their wives and share footage online
Image source, BBC/Rock Paper Productions Image caption, Jess Davies investigates the hidden world of spycammers for a new BBC documentary By Angharad Thomas BBC Wales Published 51 minutes ago Men secretly filmed their wives and girlfriends and posted footage online, before boasting about their recordings. Others targeted strangers, with one hiding a camera on a walking route in the hope of catching women urinating. In new BBC documentary Hunting the Spycammers, Jess Davies uncovers the dark online network of hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing rooms and other private spaces. Charity Refuge , external reported a 78% rise in technology-facilitated abuse referrals, while Welsh Women's Aid , external said the scale of the problem is hard to quantify because most victims don't even know it's happening. "What is really disturbing is how many of the perpetrators were filming and sharing content of people - mostly women - that were their loved ones," TV presenter Davies said. "It really highlights how anyone can be targeted with this harm." During her investigation, the 33-year-old discovered the range of cheap spycam technology available, such as cameras disguised as everyday objects such as pens, air fresheners and plugs. The topic is personal to Davies, who grew up in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, as she was 15 when images of her in her underwear were shared around her town. She had exchanged photos with a boy she fancied, and he had forwarded them on to others without her consent. Image caption, Jess Davies says it "feels like these women are being hunted down and preyed upon" "It felt so extremely violating, to think someone you cared for could do this to me. It makes you feel worthless," she said. "Seeing similar images of other victims shared in the forum that we infiltrated brought those feelings of betrayal back and made me question where my image ended up. "Could it have made its way to one of these forums?" Davies said some dismiss the impact of such actions as harmless or "just banter". She added: "For others, like the voyeurs we mention in our film, they felt if the victim never knew they were filmed without consent then there was no problem. "It really highlights how dismissed online harms and image-abuse is. "Behind each image or video is a person who has to live with that betrayal for the rest of their life." For the documentary, Davies teamed up with investigative journalist Liam Connell, who has previously infiltrated secretive online networks. They gained access to a voyeur website - a hub from which users link to encrypted chat groups - and uncovered people openly exchanging tips on secretly filming people and boasting about their recordings. "It's a never-ending cycle of mass distribution of non-consensual content of women," she said. "It feels like these women are being hunted down and preyed upon." Image source, BBC/Rock Paper Productions Image caption, Jess Davies was shocked by much of what she found Davies also confronted
