Secret filming – a culturally and morally depraved act that must be stopped.
The secret practice of secretly filming women to satisfy personal desires and purposes has been creating negative public opinion in society for the past few days, following the denunciation by model Chau Bui (Ho Chi Minh City). Secretly filming or leaking images of others on social media is a strongly condemned act. Artists and celebrities are even more vulnerable to this. Not only the law, but every individual in society has a responsibility to prevent this behavior.
In the early hours of June 25th, model Chau Bui caused a stir on social media when she revealed that she had been secretly filmed in the restroom of a photo studio. Upon noticing something suspicious, she asked the studio owner to check the security cameras, discovering a suspicious male figure. Reviewing the video from the hidden camera, the female artist was shocked to find clear footage of herself changing clothes in sensitive situations. Chau Bui has worked with authorities to prosecute the suspect and issued a warning to the community.
Notably, Chau Bui is not the first person to fall victim to surreptitious filming. Previously, sensitive images of several female artists have been leaked on social media due to surreptitious filming or personal data breaches. In 2020, a video of singer Amee exercising in her private room in pajamas with friends inadvertently revealed some sensitive images, causing her significant distress. Amee's management company then sought legal action.
Previously, singer Van Mai Huong's sensitive video was leaked from a security camera that had been illegally accessed. In 2014, Huong Tram also had sensitive images leaked while she was preparing for cosmetic surgery. The video not only clearly showed the face of the singer of "Em Gai Mua" (Rainy Girl) but also revealed a large part of her breasts. In 2010, Trang Nhung's revealing photos also became a hot topic in the media. The actress said the photo was secretly taken while she was adjusting her dress for a wedding photoshoot. The dress tie came undone, exposing part of her body. The image was saved and then disseminated. However, at the time, due to being busy, Trang Nhung did not pursue the culprit.
Secretly filming and leaking personal images on social media is a serious violation of another person's privacy and reputation. It often leaves severe psychological trauma for victims, causing serious consequences ranging from mental health issues to social and professional problems. Victims may face harassment, violence, or even online attacks.
Along with numerous previous cases of leaked images and personal information in the showbiz industry, the story of model Chau Bui being secretly filmed serves as another warning about the moral decay of some individuals with deviant behavior in society. In the context of sophisticated hidden cameras being widely available on the market today, this depraved act is even easier to carry out, causing harmful consequences for society. Associate Professor Dr. Do Canh Thin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Non-Traditional Security and a criminology expert, stated that those who secretly film have various motives. Sometimes it stems from curiosity, perversion, or the satisfaction of deviant desires (like the case of the landlord in Ha Dong, Hanoi, who placed hidden cameras in the bathrooms of female students renting rooms). However, some individuals secretly film for profit, by posting sensitive images online, selling the information, or using the videos and images to blackmail victims, pressuring them to comply with their demands.
Perhaps this is also why artists and celebrities are targeted by those with malicious intentions. Because artists and celebrities usually have a large following, obtaining sensitive images of them means the price for blackmail is much higher.
Model Chau Bui was fortunate to discover the incident in time and report it before her sensitive images were leaked. However, this incident has caused considerable anxiety among artists and models, especially women, who work in restrictive conditions regarding time and space, and cannot always take precautions or control their own safety. It also reveals a decline in the moral character of the perpetrator and the potential threat to the honor and dignity of many victims.
This situation demands strict measures to protect the privacy of each individual and prevent similar acts from recurring in the future, ensuring that uncivilized and immoral behavior does not affect the honor, dignity, or even ruin the careers and property of honest people.
According to current law, secretly filming someone, if discovered (but before uploading or distributing the video online and it's the first time), only results in an administrative penalty. Criminal prosecution only applies if the secretly filmed video is used for blackmail or distribution, causing serious consequences. This is perhaps one of the reasons why secretly filmed videos are still so prevalent online. Furthermore, many victims of secretly filmed videos tend to resolve the issue internally due to reluctance to go to court and fear of their videos becoming known to more people.
Even after the Châu Bùi case became public, the amount of information aimed at protecting the victim in mainstream media and press outlets paled in comparison to the information on social media, which was filled with curiosity, carefree requests to view, and even rude and insulting comments directed at the victim. This is the fertile ground that allows secretly filmed videos to continue appearing in alarming numbers. Not to mention online businesses that, for profit, have aided in uploading or sharing these secretly filmed videos to increase interaction on their personal pages.
Until society expresses sufficient outrage and creates forums to strongly protest and condemn the act of secretly filming others, it is difficult to believe that we can put an end to this depraved and uncivilized behavior.
Not only should we express outrage against those who secretly film, but we also need to shame the public who openly ask to see these secretly filmed clips. This will also strengthen the victims' faith in the law and raise their awareness of their responsibility to the community, preventing them from compromising and ensuring that those who secretly film are held accountable. This will ensure that no one becomes the next victim of these secret filmers whom they have… forgiven.
Because the next victim might one day be our own children or relatives. Ugly, uncivilized acts today, if not exposed and punished but silently concealed, will not disappear on their own; they will repeat themselves later, even more ugly and dangerous.
