EUROPEAN UNION · PRIVACY · ES
Spain
Hidden camera in Spain: emergency 112, local police, data protection authority and sourced legal guidance for a safe report.
Official contacts
Police · reporting and complaints
For a credible concern about intimate recording, stalking or threats, contact police where the incident occurred. The official site below directs you to their contacts and procedures. Online forms may be restricted to certain incidents and may not replace a complaint in person. Reporting to a host or platform is not a police complaint.
Policía Nacional · Oficina Virtual de Denuncias
Official websiteFor intimate recording, contact a police station directly. This virtual office excludes sexual or violent incidents and known perpetrators, among other cases; it is not the default route for this situation. Where it is usable, the complaint must be signed at a police station within 72 hours to have legal validity.
Data protection · information and complaints
For questions about the use of images or a complaint within data protection law, consult the authority below. It does not replace emergency services or criminal investigation; its remit depends on the processing concerned.
Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD)
Official websiteNational rules to consult
This guidance reflects available official rules and recommendations, not a complete list of criminal offences or penalties. Disclosed security cameras and covert intimate recording are not equivalent. Sources may be in the country’s language.
AEPD recommends video surveillance only where less privacy-intrusive alternatives cannot achieve the purpose. Necessity and proportionality must be assessed.
AEPD — Official video-surveillance FAQAEPD states that recording public streets for security is reserved to the security forces. For private cameras, it permits only the portion indispensable for the intended purpose, or whose capture cannot be avoided because of the cameras’ location; unnecessary processing must be avoided. These exceptions do not authorise intimate recording.
AEPD — Recording public streets for securityCriminal Code Article 197(1) includes using technical devices to capture or transmit images without consent for the purpose of discovering another person’s secrets or violating their privacy. It is not restricted to a particular location; purpose and the other offence elements remain essential.
BOE — Spanish Criminal Code, Article 197
The European framework: GDPR, where applicable
Purpose and lawful basis
Recording identifiable people may constitute personal-data processing. Where GDPR applies, this must comply with the principles in Article 5 and a lawful basis under Article 6. Consent is not the only possible basis.
Information and proportionality
Where GDPR applies, Article 5 requires data minimisation and storage limitation, among other principles. Article 13 specifies information to provide when data are collected from the person. A sign does not automatically legitimise filming bedrooms, showers or toilets.
National law still matters
Article 2 includes an exemption for certain purely personal or household activities. It does not authorise all surveillance: national privacy, image or criminal laws may still apply even where GDPR does not.
Neither GDPR nor this guide can establish an offence from a reflection or a box alone. Airbnb rules are platform policies, separate from national laws and other hotels’ rules.
If you discover something suspicious
Get to safety
Stop using the intimate space and move somewhere safe. Do not confront anyone if it puts you at risk. For immediate threats, call emergency services.
Document only where safe
Note the position, date and observed facts. Keep bookings and messages. Do not dismantle the object or access its memory; never photograph nudity or occupied cubicles.
Ask for appropriate examination
Ask police how to preserve the device and report what happened. From a safe place, also contact the official booking channel or property. Keep evidence private and avoid public accusations.
Editorial check on 29 October 2026 · verification limits noted in the guides
An editorial summary from LYNX Scan, a detector seller; not legal advice or a single official protocol. Rules may change. No complaint outcome, refund or detector result is guaranteed. Ask the local authority or a lawyer about your situation.
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