Burnham must crack down on covert filming to keep women safe, campaigners warn

The government must take action over the covert “nightlife” filming of women and girls for profit on social media, which is driving them out of public spaces, leading women’s charities have warned.

In an open letter to the prime minister, campaigners say women and girls are being forced to “alter their behaviour, withdraw from online spaces, and limit their presence in public life” following a “rapid rise” in the viral videos, where vulnerable women are filmed in public spaces without their consent and exposed to harassment and ridicule online.

Penned by Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse MP and signed by organisations and academics including Refuge, Women’s Aid, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and the Online Safety Network, the letter warns the videos, which have racked up more than 3 billion views, are linked to “predatory behaviours” including stalking and harassment.

It urges Andy Burnham to “strengthen” legislation, saying police are currently unable to effectively deal with the issue due to gaps in the law.

“Just across from No 10 North in Manchester, but also in many towns and cities throughout the country, women are being secretly filmed on a night out, and the videos are then posted online - often for profit - where they receive a barrage of degrading and misogynistic comments,” the letter reads.

“Women and girls are being forced to alter their behaviour, withdraw from online spaces, and limit their presence in public life. The persistent risk that material may be captured and resurfaced indefinitely undermines their ability to move freely, participate equally, and feel safe in everyday environments.”

Filming in public spaces is not illegal, but there has been growing concern over the “nightlife” content trend which often targets intoxicated women in major UK cities and posts the videos for profit online.

In 2024, a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigation saw a 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of voyeurism and harassment, thought to be the first in the country linked to the viral videos. But in January this year, police said the criminal investigation had collapsed due to “limitations within the current legislation”. At the time, detectives said they would assess pursuing civil action.

There has also recently been significant public backlash over Meta’s AI smart glasses, which have been labelled “pervert glasses” by critics due to cases of the devices being used to film women and vulnerable people without their consent.

The letter comes after Ms Hobhouse hosted a parliamentary roundtable with representatives from police forces, campaigners, and academics who warned that the law has “not kept pace” with the ways in which technology is being “weaponised” against women.

It calls on Mr Burnham’s government to recognise covert filming and “related abuses” in law, expand the Online Safety Act to include algorithms that “incentivise abuse”, and recognise covert filming as integral to its strategy on tackling violence against women and girls.

“At its core, this is about freedom,” it reads. “Women and girls are asking for the basic right to exist in public and online spaces without fear of surveillance, humiliation, or exploitation.”

“We urge the government to act with urgency and to work collaboratively with experts, victim-survivors and industry to deliver a response that matches the scale and seriousness of this issue.”