Do not secretly film others, and do not install cameras in rental rooms, guesthouses, or hotel rooms

Secretly filming, peeping, or spreading someone’s privacy brings detention for under 5 days or a fine of up to 1000 yuan; when circumstances are heavier, detention for 5 to 10 days. Using dedicated covert-filming gear and causing serious consequences brings up to 2 years. Two people installed gear in rooms at three hotels for remote filming and got 1 year 3 months and 1 year. Rooms others stay in must not be filmed without consent.

Cost

No money and no real time. Do not secretly film others, and do not install cameras in rental rooms, guesthouses, or hotel rooms.

Benefit

Peeping, secretly filming, eavesdropping, or spreading another’s privacy brings detention for under 5 days or a fine of up to 1000 yuan. When circumstances are heavier, detention for 5 to 10 days, with a further fine of up to 1000 yuan. Illegally using dedicated eavesdropping or covert-photography equipment and causing serious consequences brings up to 2 years. Dedicated eavesdropping or covert-photography equipment means devices made for secret listening or filming. Official case: Yan and Yan bought covert-photography gear online, installed it in multiple rooms at three hotels for remote filming, and were sentenced to 1 year 3 months and 1 year. Civil Code Article 1033 adds another layer: except where the law provides otherwise or the person clearly consents, no one may “enter, film, or peep into another’s residence, hotel room, or other private space,” nor “film, peep at, eavesdrop on, or publicize another’s private activities” (nationwide)

Notes

Once secretly filmed material is sold or disseminated, it is handled separately as producing or trafficking obscene articles for profit and similar crimes; in the same batch of cases some got 10 years. Installing monitoring at home that only covers your own place and that everyone in the household knows about is not banned in the text — that is inferred from the wording. A lens that covers a tenant’s or guest’s room, or films another’s private activities, falls within what the Civil Code forbids.

Sources · 4

1. 全国人大常委会 (2025). 治安管理处罚法（2025 年修订，第五十条）. spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml
2. 全国人大 (2020). 刑法（根据刑法修正案（十一）修正，第二百八十四条）. jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925…
3. 最高人民法院 (2024). 依法惩治非法生产、销售、使用窃听、窃照设备犯罪典型案例（案例二）. court.gov.cn/shenpan/xiangqing/449581.html
4. 全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一千零三十二、一千零三十三条）. spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml