'Man in smart glasses filmed me in London then told me to pay'

Alice - not her real name - says she was covertly filmed by a man wearing smart glasses, who then requested money to remove the video from social media. She contacted the man who posted the video, telling him it made her feel "humiliated". But when she asked for it to be taken down, was told he would only remove it as a "paid service". Alice is one of many women who have spoken to the BBC about the distress they have endured after being recorded and posted online without their knowledge or consent. The BBC contacted the man who filmed and posted the video of Alice. He refused to be interviewed, but in an email said he "does not seek to cause distress or harm". Alice was walking into a London shopping centre when she was approached by a man wearing smart glasses. She says she had no idea she was being filmed. "In the moment I just thought 'OK this guy is just trying to talk to me, to chat me up'," she said. "I was hoping that he would leave me alone eventually but he did actually follow me." The video was posted on social media and viewed about 40,000 times, though Alice only found out about it after a friend sent it to her. "My initial reaction was complete shock," she said. "He ha

May 7, 2026 → May 23, 2026