The woman who found 80 spycams in her home

The easy availability of spy cameras and the proliferation of smart speakers have made it easier than ever to snoop on people in their own homes, according to a leading women’s charity. Even worse is that much of this tracking is being conducted by supposed loved ones.

In one case, more than 150 recording devices were found in the home of a single domestic violence victim, including 80 cameras and 70 other recording devices. Some of these were everyday gadgets, such as Amazon Alexa devices, as well as dozens of hidden cameras that are freely marketed as being for covert surveillance by big online retailers.

— now often fitted with cameras as well as microphones — have become a common feature in our homes. More than four in 10 homes have at least one smart speaker, according to Ofcom research published and that of their family members.