Boffins find way to use a standard smartphone to find hidden spy cams Recent model smartphones can be smarter still about finding hidden cameras in their vicinity, if they take advantage of time-of-flight (ToF) sensors. ToF is a measurement technique that relies on reflected light to quickly determine the distance of objects. ToF sensors are used in LIDAR (light detection and ranging) systems …
The group you mention are a great bunch of lads. Had them round for my signature dish the other week: veal that's been force-fed only on pâté de foie gras using a giant funnel while being held completely immobile for its whole (albeit brief) life. It's a good recipe, that – the sauce really brings out the suffering.
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At least the ones over here on this side of The Pond anyway. They set the camera detection system up at the front of the theater & set it to scan the crowd facing the screen. It detects the presence of the camera lense, the management uses multiple sensors to triangulate the specific seat in which it's located, then sends in security to escort out the offender.
Can't you do something similar by simply shining a laser pointer around the room, watching for the reflected laser light, then doing a bit of more in-depth examination of the flash point?
Or you could use an RPI, a laser pointer, & a light detector as a DIY room sweeper, target the reflective bits every tenth of a second to keep it blinded, and couple it with an audio pickup & a noise canceling algorithm to be a white noise generator.
Or am I having fantasies of being James Bond again?
Reminds me of my date with Teresa in the fifth form. We went to see "Stardust (1974)" in the Odeon where her mother was an usher and she was watching us from time to time. Still, I did put my hand on Teresa's hand.
But things have changed so much today. Now there is constant infra-red surveillance, to detect those who bring their own popcorn, hand holding, or even
International Business Times: Night Vision Cameras Capture Couple Having Sex in Front Row of Movie Theater
Contrary to popular belief, most cinemas (Odeon, for example) don't care if you take your own popcorn.
I could find a reference to detecting the red recording light, and to using infrared cameras, but not to passive detection of the camera lens. So please explain more how it's done.
I think shining a laser in customers eyes could result in some complaints, and even lawsuits.
From the paper:
Specifically, the hidden camera embedded in the object reflects the incoming laser pulses at a higher intensity than its surroundings due to an effect called lens-sensor retro-reflection. This occurs when almost all light energy impacting an object is reflected directly back to the source (see Section 2.2). These unexpectedly high-intensity reflections from hidden cameras cause certain regions of the ToF sensor to be “saturated” and appear as black pixels. LAPD processes these saturated areas to automatically identify the hidden camera.
So, it sounds like any glass bead would be identified as a hidden camera.
Not for any glass bead, as it won't necessarily retroreflect (ie send the incoming light back in the same direction it came from, regardless of incident angle), unless it's been deliberately manufactured to, with a retro reflective backing to it. The reflective studs in roads ("cat's eyes" in the UK and possibly elsewhere) do this but only because they have the retroreflective material behind the glass bead. I think the glass bead only works to provide protection from the elements and being run over whilst still allowing the light in and back out.
Animal eyes that retroreflect only do so for a very narrow range of incident angles. If you've ever seen the effect for yourself, you may notice the animal's eyes shine really bright (if you're illuminating them) only when they turn to look at you.
Cameras can retroreflect over a large range of incident angles due to the way the imaging sensor reflects incident light. It's a phenomenon that had been known about for a long time, but the novel thing here is using the existing built in smartphone lidar to do it.
There's a similar effect in RF, where a horn antenna will retroreflect the incident electromagnetic wave if it's at the right frequency. Makes it very hard to build a radar that is in turn stealthy to other radars. One if the reasons to move towards phased array radars target than mechanically scanned antennas.
> At least the ones over here on this side of The Pond anyway. They set the camera detection system up at the front of the theater & set it to scan the crowd facing the screen. It detects the presence of the camera lense, the management uses multiple sensors to triangulate the specific seat in which it's located, then sends in security to escort out the offender.
If you got yourself a nice pair of shiny glass eyes you could wind up theatre owners no end.
Lady Penelope and Parker shot someone in a car causing a large pileup on the M4 on my 'No Strings Attached' record cos he'd nicked the Neutron Stabiliser or something.
Presumably they called Virgil to rescue everyone later.
Apparently at the script meetings they'd occasionally consider rescuing Alan from orbit, but always decided too leave him there to wank himself to death.
A good sweep team with spectrum analyzers can do a good job on that, and find all the hidden cameras.
If you were being spied on, there is place to get good money. Or to the folks responsible - 15+ years incarceration, or firing squad depending on the criminal justice code of your country, or your mood if an official.
I recall, many years ago, having a radio on my desk (to provide background music - days before iPods, etc). Tuning through the FM band to find a suitable stationI picked up a discussion; curious, I listened in for a few seconds and realised it was a meeting at the company in the offices next door. Somebody was being naughty and had bugged the meeting room - but a cheapskate as their bug was just a simple FM transmitter.
I don't know if they were caught - but their antics were certainly stopped.
so how do you address this: you're in a shop, you pull out your fancy-shmancy mobile with a (premium/pro) app that goes bleep-bleep! and discover 32 hidden cameras (plus 36 un-hidden)? Likewise in b&b. Do you storm out? Start ripping the walls, etc? Call b&b? (lol). What about school, interview room, toilet, etc. Perhaps a tinfoil hat with a brim wide enough (no batteries included) is a better bet...
I am quite a realistic person, tinfoil hats are not my vibe. I prefer microchips I can sell for a big amount of money.
If you are in a shop, I don't believe you can do anything.
If you are at home, or bathroom, it is a serious violation of privacy, human rights, international law and military law - if selling / broadcasting secrets to other states by a private party, gets only worst.
The deal resumes to some millions in monetary compensation agreement + NDA signed to avoid the snafu, or 15+ years incarseration or firing squad - according to legislation, it is not me saying.
You're assuming the hidden camera has a name tag like "If found please return to..." on it. In reality you most likely won't know who put it there.
Or even if it's just the camera you were supposed to find easily so you henceforth feel secure.
Looking for hidden cameras was not what I was expecting for another phone use. But taking advantage that cameras have lenses which have certain optical properties is actually quite ingenious.
While hidden cameras are an issue, not to be minimized, I wonder how much of a problem they really are in terms of actual misuse vs media hype. Also, hidden cameras to some degree have been around for sometime now even if they were bulky film cameras and were real PITA to set up and use.
When traveling, I prefer to stay are a real hotel/motel or BnB, i.e. a real business, not someone's side gig to make a little extra money. One reason is I know a real business should be inspected by the local health authorities in most developed countries and there is better case law if there is a problem.
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