Spying device detectors give abuse victims false sense of security, UCL study finds

The consumer detection tools claim to identify hidden cameras, microphones or trackers through signal-strength readings, infrared lens detection, and scanning for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices. But researchers found many detectors fail to adequately help users identify hidden surveillance, with lead author Akhil Polamarasetty saying there is a great disparity between the capabilities of the spying devices themselves and the tools available for detecting them.

If the detectors fail to find surveillance devices, victims continue to be spied on in their homes unaware. The researchers identified approximately 1,000 covert surveillance products and 500 detection tools sold in the UK through mainstream online platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress and eBay. Hidden devices include small cameras or microphones concealed inside everyday household items like USB chargers, plush toys and clocks. Although often marketed as home security or pet tracking tools, researchers and campaigners said the devices could be misused for spying and abuse.

In an experiment, 34 participants searched a simulated living room for hidden devices, first on their own and then with detection tools. Using detectors produced only marginal improvement: participants missed 67% of hidden devices when searching alone, compared with a 59% miss rate with a detector. Many had difficulty interpreting a detector's readings, while other tools gave false positives that caused anxiety or missed surveillance objects entirely.

Polamarasetty said most detectors on the market are not designed with the typical consumer in mind, and many people risk misinterpreting the results. He also noted that many detection products are not built with at-risk users in mind, often emitting loud sounds that could alert the person spying on them. "They're absolutely not safe to be used when you're living with the perpetrator," he said.

The researchers recommended clearer user guidance and communicating inconclusive readings, but said these recommendations alone could not prevent technology-facilitated abuse. The only real solution, they said, is to stop the sale of hidden spy devices. Co-author Dr Leonie Tanczer said companies have a responsibility to think about how their products can be misused at the design stage, and questioned any legitimate reason for cameras in items like showerheads or plugs.

The UK domestic abuse charity Refuge said it had seen a notable rise in victims reporting hidden microphones or cameras inside their homes. Policy manager Bo Bottomley said the accessibility and affordability of these devices is especially worrying, and urged the government to review how they are designed, safety tested, marketed and sold, and to take swift regulatory action.

Amazon declined to comment. A spokesperson for eBay said the platform prohibits the sale of many products used for covert surveillance, and after investigation it had removed two of the three listings shared. A Home Office spokesperson said the government will not tolerate covert filming or harassment, is updating guidance on controlling and coercive behaviour to reflect technology-facilitated abuse, and is making it an offence to take intimate images without consent, including by installing cameras. AliExpress was contacted for comment.