Highlights
- Jess Davies investigates covert spycam networks in a new BBC Three documentary.
- The presenter says her own experience of image abuse inspired the investigation.
- The programme uncovers hidden cameras, encrypted online groups and illegal sharing of intimate footage.
Jess Davies has revealed how her own experience of image abuse motivated her to investigate the growing threat of hidden spy cameras in a new BBC Three documentary.
The Welsh presenter fronts Hunting the Spycammers, an undercover investigation into online communities where users secretly film partners, relatives and strangers before distributing intimate footage without their consent.
Davies said revisiting similar cases during the investigation brought back memories of her own ordeal, describing the experience as "so extremely violating".
Personal ordeal became the driving force
Davies said the documentary was deeply personal after discovering that someone she had been dating secretly photographed her while she was naked and asleep before sharing the image in a private WhatsApp group.
"It felt so extremely violating," she said. "To think someone you cared for would do this to you. It makes you feel worthless."
She added that seeing comparable images circulating within the online groups they infiltrated made her question where her own photograph might have ended up.
"As a victim of image abuse myself, the topic of taking and sharing non-consensual images is deeply personal," she said. "I was determined to try and get answers."
Going undercover to expose spycammers
Working alongside investigative journalist Liam Connell, Davies posed as someone interested in becoming a spycam user to gain access to encrypted online communities.
The investigation uncovered users openly exchanging advice on secretly recording wives, girlfriends, family members, flatmates and strangers in private settings, including bedrooms, bathrooms and changing rooms.
The programme also reveals the range of hidden recording devices available, including cameras disguised as everyday objects such as pens, air fresheners and plug sockets, making them difficult to detect.
Among the cases featured is someone accused of placing hidden cameras along a walking route to film women relieving themselves where public toilets were unavailable. Another woman recalls discovering a tiny camera hidden beneath the seat of a toilet in a well-known restaurant chain, capable of livestreaming footage.
Challenging those behind the cameras
The documentary also sees Davies confront people involved in the spycam network, questioning why they secretly filmed others, whether they understood the activity was illegal and whether they felt remorse.
She said confronting those responsible was one of the most significant parts of the investigation because many of the online communities appeared to normalise and encourage each other's behaviour.
Davies also stressed that victims should never be forgotten behind the images being traded online.
"I think it's incredibly brave for the victims of this crime to speak out and share their story to raise awareness of this issue," she said.
Through Hunting the Spycammers, Davies hopes to expose the scale of covert filming and highlight the lasting impact that non-consensual image abuse has on those affected.
