Son Donghyun, CEO of Espresso, Developer of Hidden Camera Detection App
'Lily's Map' Ranks 7th in App Downloads One Week After Release
Instantly Detects Hidden Cameras When Capturing Subjects Within 40cm and 30 Degrees
An app that detects hidden cameras with a smartphone has been released and is being used for crime prevention. Graphic by Jin-kyung Lee, Designer
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] #Kim Suyeon (alias), who stayed at a motel during a business trip to a provincial area, felt something strange between the gaps of the toilet bowl. She turned on a hidden camera detection application (app) she had downloaded a few days earlier and brought her phone close, quickly detecting a miniature lens. Kim immediately reported it to the police, who, after an inquiry focused on motel staff, arrested part-time worker A.
'Lily's Map' is a hidden camera detection app that finds small hidden cameras using a smartphone. Utilizing deep learning technology and augmented reality (AR), this app learns various hidden camera images and instantly detects hidden cameras when the subject is captured within 30 degrees at a distance of 40cm.
Following the Nth Room incident, videos illegally filmed with hidden cameras in public restrooms, bathhouses, dormitories, and motels have been shared, increasing women's anxiety. Institutions and companies have introduced detectors to root out hidden cameras, but electronic field detection methods have the drawback of detecting all metal-containing objects, reducing accuracy.
Recently, hidden cameras equipped with real-time broadcasting functions have emerged, causing illegally filmed videos to circulate rapidly and making it harder to catch perpetrators. Son Donghyun (33), CEO of Espresso, judged that IT technology could alleviate women's anxiety and started developing the app.
CEO Son, who developed a program to extract highlights from live baseball broadcasts, was preparing to enter the e-sports industry when he saw news about illegal filming involving celebrities and thought that applying IT technology to hidden camera detection could make discovery easy. Starting development in August last year, Lily's Map was officially launched on April 30 and has attracted attention, ranking 7th in app downloads within a week, mainly through word of mouth in women's communities. Although the number of app downloads sometimes felt like a sign of social anxiety, CEO Son is planning a space management service that certifies safe areas based on data collected through the app.
Defining hidden cameras as 'digital pests,' CEO Son dreams of building a 'digital Cesco' (pest control company) that establishes hidden camera safe zones based on information collected through Lily's Map. He is also developing a digital mortician service that tracks and deletes leaked hidden camera videos. The fact that the 9th and 11th ranked websites worldwide are porn sites shows that pornography is consumed more than people posting their own faces on Instagram.
CEO Son focused on the patterns of videos filmed with hidden cameras, especially editing patterns, and developed AI technology to detect and capture them. He said, "There were no separate regulations for pornographic videos, so defining them technically was a priority. To do this, I studied tens of thousands of adult videos and found consistent patterns." He explained that existing digital mortician services were costly and less precise because they were done by humans, but AI now detects them through deep learning.
Since the hidden camera detection app and digital mortician service are used for crime prevention and victim identification for women, special attention was paid to building a delicate UI (user interface) considering the victims' perspectives. CEO Son said, "I met with hidden camera victims directly and listened to what they needed. Since I am a male developer, narrowing the gap and addressing overlooked parts was a priority."
The endless production of hidden camera videos and the efforts to catch them evoke the chase between the Joker and Batman. CEO Son said, "Since hidden cameras are the most advanced form of voyeurism, complete eradication is difficult, but the goal is to develop technology that pursues this from an individual's perspective to the end and realize safety as a brand."
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