Hidden camera! Reporting it is the best way of preventing it!
That was a note on my Facebook timeline, accessed out of habit. I doubted my eyes at first, but then I read it again. I wasn’t mistaken. The notice posted on the Seoul police Facebook page about preventing hidden camera crimes didn’t make sense.
How can we find hidden cameras and prevent them from being used? How it is preventing a crime to report that crime, after it has happened? And why are the Seoul police asking victims to prevent crimes, rather than warning attackers not to use hidden cameras? I repeated the phrase several times, but it still didn’t make any sense to me.
“Prevention” means preventing problems in advance. But the Seoul police concept of prevention forgets the essence of that definition. They ought to take the victim’s side, but instead, they warn victims to be careful. I was angry, and many people agreed with me. Despite an enthusiastic response to our posting, we have not had any feedback from the police.
The way to prevent hidden camera crime is so simple. Do not take a hidden camera. If this doesn’t seem feasible, there are other ways. A basic form of prevention that addresses the cause, sites, and vendors who sell hidden cameras should be strictly enforced; sales should incur stricter punishments. Also, the government should acknowledge that using hidden cameras is a crime, and should warn potential attackers not to do it.
This is not someone else’s issue. On campus, hidden cameras are a frequent problem. Only last June, a guy planted a hidden camera in a women’s bathroom in college. This is just one example, to show how weak the regulations are. Signs in front of Library women’s bathroom, warning people not to take pictures, just go to show that our school is not safe from hidden cameras. I really want to live safe from hidden cameras, with strong, effective regulations.