Tiny cameras let bosses spy on maids

TINY hidden cameras are being installed in household items, allowing homeowners to spy on their domestic helpers from the office.

About a dozen families have bought a home surveillance system called 'Secure Look' that hides pinhole cameras in sideboards, ceilings or even the telephone, raising concerns from the Privacy Commissioner.

Welpro Security manager Andy Chung Kin-wah says footage can be either videotaped or downloaded into a phone link for the employer to view from a computer at work.

'There are many servants in Hong Kong, and I think it's a common concern with families that there can be problems,' Mr Chung said. 'We have about six calls a day from families who are very interested.' But users of the hi-tech surveillance system, which hit the market a month ago, are breaking the law with their surreptitious filming, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has warned.

A bill soon to be tabled by the Law Reform Commission would also make unauthorised covert operation of closed-circuit television in the home a criminal offence, with fines and even imprisonment being considered.

'If there's suspicion of criminal activity, it might be justified. But if they're [filming] without telling people, that is a problem,' said deputy privacy commissioner Robin McLeish.