The Campaign

South Korean police decided to make Peeping Toms never want to see illegal voyeur videos again. The police used fake hidden camera videos to reduce the circulation of the real ones, and also to discourage viewers from downloading and consuming them by changing their thoughts about illegal voyeur videos. The police uploaded their fake videos onto 23 file-sharing sites. The fake videos show women in different places who, at the end of the video, suddenly change into a ghost-like character, scaring the viewer. And subtitles appear, saying “You might be the one pushing her to commit suicide. Police are monitoring this site.” With the support of a lawmaker, the South Korean government, an NGO for women as well as the positive opinions of the general public, the campaign garnered even more impact.

Execution

To directly deal with people downloading illegal voyeur videos, the Police Cybercrime Unit went undercover and entered the ‘online black market' of such videos. Using dozens of different IDs and IP addresses to fool downloaders, they uploaded their fake voyeur videos. From Oct.17 to Dec.17, 2017, a total of 3,500 fake voyeur videos were uploaded onto 23 file-sharing sites. For two months, 51,399 Peeping Toms downloaded the fake videos. The very moment the viewers watched the voyeur video, the police informed them of the harm they were causing and gave them a stern warning.

51,399 Peeping Toms directly downloaded the fake videos. The fear of the police watching them curbed downloads, and the circulation of illegal voyeur videos dropped by up to 21%. With 0 PR cost, the campaign was featured in all major news channels nationwide and in over 100 media channels globally. Through these various media outlets, it reached over 5M people. An NGO for women voluntarily joined the campaign and helped upload the police’s fake videos. Furthermore, it initiated a discussion about penalizing those who viewed the voyeur videos. A lawmaker and the South Korean government on their official blog also expressed their support of the campaign. The Stop Downloadkill Campaign took place from Oct.17 to Dec.17, 2017, and in November 2017, a bill to strengthen punishment for voyeur crimes was proposed in the National Assembly. “Must See Video” BBC “A fake porn video horrifying perverts” 9 NEWS “Original idea against hidden camera" Le Monde *All data in the entry form are official police data

The Situation

More and more women are becoming victims of hidden camera sex crimes in South Korea. Since only filming voyeur videos is punishable, people download them without feeling guilty. Police’s idea to create the fake ones and circulate them online was successful. It curbed downloads and the circulation of illegal voyeur videos dropped by up to 21%. Furthermore, it initiated a discussion about penalizing those viewers. A lawmaker and the government on their official blog also expressed their support of the campaign. During the campaign, a bill to strengthen punishment for voyeur crimes was proposed in the National Assembly.

The Strategy

The police found a way to directly reach those who were downloading the illegal videos. The Police Cybercrime Unit first tracked where people were downloading the illegal voyeur videos from. Upon identifying 23 file-sharing sites with the highest traffic, the police circulated their fake hidden camera videos there. The videos show women in different places, such as the subway, motel, bathroom stall, fitting room, etc., who, at the end of the video, suddenly change into a ghost-like character, scaring the viewer. A total of 3,500 fake videos were uploaded and 51,399 Peeping Toms directly downloaded them.