Ambient Abuse: Gaslight Effect and the Diabolical Personality

In South Korea, molka (몰카 [moɭkʰa], an abbreviation for 몰래 카메라 [moɭɭɛ kʰameɾa]) are miniature cameras secretly and illegally installed in order to capture voyeuristic images and videos. However, the crime of molka refers to images taken with any kind of camera or smartphone. The voyeuristic images and videos are sold online across various platforms, including popular social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr, without knowledge or consent of those on camera. "Molka" can refer to both the actual cameras as well as the footage later posted online.[1] South Korea's highly digitized society makes it easy to circulate molka footage and difficult to remove once it has been circulated.

The rate of arrests of hidden camera crimes has increased since 2011, hidden camera crimes have become a prominent point of feminist protest and #MeToo in South Korea. Women overwhelmingly make up the majority of victims of hidden camera crimes, while men make up the vast majority of perpetrators. Many[who?] women and critics say that molka crimes and the lack of action taken towards them are a product of distorted gendered violence against women in South Korea and the flaws in the law enforcement system.

The problem of filming someone without authorization, such as men using cell phones to film women on stairs and in subways, has been a common form of molka and has even led to requiring all South Korean cell phone manufacturers to have phones emit loud shutter noises upon taking a picture.[2][3] Fixed spycams have been found in public areas in Korea as early as 1997, where secret cameras were found to be installed in the ceiling of a Sinchon department store's women's restroom. While the department store stated that the cameras were installed for ‘security purposes’ to catch pickpockets and people who vandalise toilets, the incident received much public criticism.[4][5]

With the increase in smartphone ownership and rapid development of technology, molka crimes have also been increasingly found in spaces such as public bathrooms, changing rooms, schools, and offices. Molka crimes have been called a product of fast, easy access to Internet technology and "backwards" misogyny, or an example of "digital male sexual violence."[6] According to police data, around 1,100 to 1,400 molka crimes occurred in 2010[7] and 2011[6] respectively, but in 2018, there were nearly 6,800 cases.[8] Revenge porn, or private photos and footage taken and circulated by former lovers or partners without consent of the filmed subject, is a related form of harassment thought to be roughly as widespread of a problem in South Korea.[9]

In 2018, the police stated that 90% of molka crime was committed using a smartphone[10]

Public restroom molka crimes
Public restrooms are one of the most commonly mentioned locations for spycam installation. Many women have said that they do not feel safe using public restrooms because they feel there is such a high possibility of there being a hidden camera, covering up holes and cracks in walls, toilet paper holders, and hairdryers where cameras might be hidden.[6]

In September 2018, the Seoul city government announced it would increase public restroom inspection by assigning 8,000 employees to inspect the city's 20,000+ bathrooms on a daily basis, a step up from the previous 50 employees and monthly inspections.[9] Government inspectors have not actually discovered any recording devices in public restrooms despite checking nearly 200,000 restrooms across the country.[11][12][13] According to police, many spy cameras are only installed for short periods of time—as brief as 15 minutes—and therefore can be difficult to detect even with the implementation of daily searches.[9]

Forms of Abuse by Proxy
Harassing the victim by using others to stalk her or by charging her with offenses she did not commit. Provoking the victim into aggressive or even antisocial conduct by having others threaten her or her loved ones. Colluding with others to render the victim dependent on the abuser.

Abuse By Proxy and Abuse by Stalking | by Compumatrix | Medium