Pilot Episode
Vigilance is the New Black
Julia and STÉFY introduce themselves and give a brief introduction into the performative world of Cam Hunters. They define surveillance and introduce their new unsettling theory of “disruptive exhibitionism.”
Show Notes and Links
Episode 1
COVID-19: Life on Camera
Julia and STÉFY dive into the world of camming and consent during COVID-19. Julia looks at the ways survivors of digital abuse cope while being required to be on camera for employment and social purposes. STÉFY speaks about the connections between sex work and the economy, especially “camming” and cam girls during the pandemic.
Show Notes and Links
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Netizens (Cynthia Lowen, 2018)
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A Guide to Coping with Quarantine as a Survivor of Digital Violence (C.A. Goldberg Law)
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Psychotherapist Francesca Rossi's concept of "affirmative camera consent" (Refinery29)
Episode 2
Too Naked to Handle
STÉFY and Julia do what all great surveillance scholars do: talk about sex, nudity, and surveillance on reality television. STÉFY speaks passionately about how Naked Attraction has changed her life, and the critique the show has faced because of its sexual content and nudity. For Julia, surveillance gets Too Hot to Handle when she explains the pervasive use of surveillance technologies in this Netflix series.
Show Notes and Links
Image References (Instagram)
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Too Hot to Handle, Netflix
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Jessica, Love is Blind, Netflix
Episode 3
"Check the lamps!"
STÉFY and Julia go back to where the idea of Cam Hunters started - cameras in Airbnbs. STÉFY shares a couple stories of clients finding hidden cameras in their Airbnb. Julia gets super creepy when she talks about a crowdfunded surveillance lamp that will no doubt find its way into rental properties.
Show Notes and Links
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Airbnb Superhost Secretly Recorded Guests with Hidden Bedroom Camera (Threat Post)
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A security expert in China finds hidden camera in her Airbnb (Abacus)
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Police had no right to seize hidden bedside camera from Airbnb condo, judge says (CBC News)
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Panasonic HomeHawk FLOOR
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Panasonic’s Indiegogo campaign
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Cool or creepy? Panasonic floor lamp has a ‘secret’ security camera built in (Digital Trends)
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This lamp with a hidden camera could be in your next Airbnb nightmare (The Verge)
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Our New Favorite Video Monitor (Love & Renovations)
Episode 4
Pleasuring Yourself with Data
Julia and STÉFY reveal some of the ways that consumers use surveillance tools for their own self-pleasure and indulgence. Julia explores the sexy/scary world of internet-connected sex toys, while STÉFY gives you some beauty tips after testing a new face-cleansing tool.
Show Notes and Links
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Vibrator maker ordered to pay out C$4m for tracking users' sexual activity (The Guardian)
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Is Your Vibrator Sharing Your Secrets? - talk by g0ldfisk and follower (TEDx on YouTube)
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Breaking the Internet of Vibrating Things - talk by g0ldfisk and follower (DefCon on YouTube)
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Thanks to COVID-19, Internet-Connected Sex Toy Sales Are Booming (Rolling Stone)
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Internet-connected vibrator connects with privacy lawsuit (CNET)
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We-Connect's Privacy Policy
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Control and Freedom: Power and Paranoia in the Age of Fiber Optics by Wendy Hui Kyong Chun
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“Lolita Speaks: ‘Sexting,’ Teenage Girls and the Law” by Lara Karaian
Episode 5
Capturing/Collecting the Cute and Cuddly
In this episode the Cam Hunters talk about society's obsession with watching and photographing animals. Julia speaks about her experiences playing Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector and our interest in photographing cute and cuddly animals, while STÉFY blinds Julia with science and explains the ways that animals have inspired contemporary surveillance technologies and drones.
Show Notes and Links
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Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector website (English)
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Why Am I Obsessed with a Cellphone Game about Collecting Cats? (New York Times Magazine)
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CryptoKitties website
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"She Blinded Me with Science" - Thomas Dolby (YouTube)
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The Insectothopter (YouTube)
Episode 6
Surveilling the Unknown
Can surveillance confirm the existence of the ghostly or the alien? STÉFY and Julia investigate. Special appearance by Tux the Bostie!
Show Notes and Links
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Nuke's Top 5 channel (YouTube)
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Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes (The Guardian)
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"Rhetoric of the Temporal Index: Surveillant Narration and the Cinema of 'Real Time'" by Thomas Levin
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Declassified 'UFO' Videos (ABC News on YouTube)
Episode 7
Paranoia
This week the Cam Hunters are joined by Queen's University PhD student Rohit Revi. Rohit discusses the history of paranoia and delves into the political and cultural implications of paranoia on conspiracies and social control.
Show Notes and Links
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Paranoid Subjectivity and the Challenges of Cognitive Mapping - How Is Capitalism to Be Represented? (e-flux conversations)
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Full Immigration Status for All (Migrant Rights Network)
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Black Lives Matter (Toronto)
Episode 8
Season Finale: Creepy Stories
For the season finale of Cam Hunters: The Podcast, Julia and STÉFY share a series of creepy stories with their listeners.
Show Notes and Links
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When Couples Can't Agree on Surveillance in the Home (Slate.com)
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"Killer Clown" with Huge Knife Caught on Chilling CCTV Footage Trying to Enter Family Home (Mirror.co.uk)
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Can Makeup Be an Anti-Surveillance Tool? (Vogue.com)
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Raw: California Man Caught Licking Doorbell (KHOU 11 News on YouTube)
IIMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Cam Hunters is an art performance and research-creation project created by media artists Julia Chan and STÉFY. Our aim is to create scholarly art and critical tools to interrogate the increasing presence of surveillance, in all its forms, in our lives. Certifications, investigations, and exploratory events are strictly performance. For more information, please contact us at camhunters@protonmail.com.
© 2028 by Cam Hunters. Copyright of Stéfy McKnight and Julia Chan