5 Everyday Items That Could Be Hiding Cameras And Mics

The first "Mission: Impossible" movie felt like a near-future world in terms of espionage tech. But with how fast the medium advances, that original film feels pretty quaint in terms of what we can now do with nothing more than access to Amazon. There exists an entire industry of spy tools and gadgets that can be used for all manner of nefarious purposes. And because of this, there is a counter industry emerging to help consumers protect themselves from all manner of spying.

There are content creators and articles explaining ways to stay safe and the tools you can use to protect yourself, especially when traveling. Even something as simple as your smartphone can spy on your activities, and that's not even touching on all the smart tech and accessories that are snooping on you as you read this.

With cameras and microphones getting smaller, you might be surprised with how easy it is for household devices to be turned against you. From everyday gadgets to devices that you never even think about, there are a lot of items that could easily be spying on you right now. Maybe the most concerning thing is that each gadget item featured here can be picked up on Amazon.

Everyone probably has a USB charging brick. Until smartphone makers stopped including chargers, these devices came bundled with almost every phone and small gadget. These little wall warts are a dime a dozen, and many people probably have a junk drawer with a few of them. Most of us never even think about these USB charging bricks, but maybe you should.

It's incredibly easy to house a camera and microphone inside these charging bricks. With Wi-Fi chips also so small, a basic USB charging brick can record video and audio while also streaming it to another device. This small and discreet hidden camera could fool anyone, and I wouldn't think twice if it were left plugged into a wall when visiting an Airbnb, or even inside my own home. There are even models that feature night vision for added surveillance capabilities. You could have one of these devices without knowing it, having picked one up from a shady retailer or simply been given one by a stranger when you were in need.

While some might already know better than to blindly trust a random USB charging brick, there's another device in nearly every single room of a home, Airbnb, and hotel that could be spying on you. They can even be found inside bathrooms, and you've probably never even thought about them unless they were beeping from a low battery. The humble smoke detector can easily house cameras and microphones, thanks to a number of factors.

These devices are typically large, and because they are mounted high, most people don't ever think about them. While most detectors use a 9 V battery, many can plug right into their own power and are hardwired into a home. This allows them to be potentially modified to provide constant power for surveillance devices. This creates a relatively unique situation: they can potentially run non-stop, unlike many other surveillance devices that rely on batteries which need recharging and can die. Since smoke detectors are installed high up, removing and checking them is hard to do, especially in a location with high ceilings and a lack of available ladder equipment.

If you saw a set of car keys on a kitchen counter or in a bedroom, you probably wouldn't think twice about them. But if there is a random key fob just sitting in an Airbnb or in a home you're visiting, it could be spying on you. One company that makes such a device claims that the key fob is meant to be used as a nanny camera for home protection, but it could easily be used for nefarious purposes because of how innocuous it looks. With most people having a spare set of keys, it wouldn't be uncommon to see a random key fob left in an Airbnb — even somewhere like the master bedroom. 

Users who bought one of these devices on Amazon praise how the key fob goes unnoticed and recorded footage for upwards of six hours. Others cited that they used the key fob to catch people going through their purse, making it a great tool for your own protection and evidence documentation.

The issue with everyday items is that they are so common that you never think twice about them. And nothing might be more common in any room than a framed photo or art piece. Now imagine an Airbnb or hotel room where framed works are in every single room. I have never once thought to inspect a framed photo — their whole point is to seamlessly blend into a space.

The idea with these devices is to monitor elder care workers, pets, sitters, and more. But the possibility for bad actors to take advantage of them is sky high. A person could easily swap out a standard photo in your home with a generic black frame with a camera built into it. When is the last time you took the time to inspect a random family photo that was sitting on your mantel or on a cluttered bookshelf? A bad actor could easily swap out one of my family photos and I'd be none the wiser.

We've talked about devices that all require some form of power to function. While these everyday items are pretty innocuous, those serious about security can at least physically check these devices. You can move them, stick them in a drawer, or cover them up. But what about when that hidden camera is hiding in the most common place possible — inside a wall outlet?

These outlets are in every single room, and many times, in multiple locations — from shin height to elevated on kitchen and bathroom sinks, or even up on the wall in many cases. You can avoid every one of the spy devices listed so far with a little effort, but a wall outlet is totally different, especially in a hotel or Airbnb setting. I would never think to check or unscrew every single wall outlet to look for a hidden camera, but at least a few pieces of masking tape can offer peace of mind in a pinch.