Claim:
In 1998, Sony released a camcorder that could “see through people’s clothes”, immediately recalling 700,000 units sold.
Judgement:
What is true:
It’s true that Sony released a camcorder with infrared night vision in 1998. Under certain conditions, it appeared to be able to “see through clothing” – in the sense that the camera could detect the silhouette of a person’s body beneath their clothing. Sony stopped shipping the cameras to change the feature.
What is not true:
However, there is no indication that Sony has recalled hundreds of thousands of camcorders or announced that they would do so as a result.
There has long been a rumor on the Internet that Sony released a camcorder in 1998 that could see through clothing. A viral Reddit post from 2020 claimed that “In 1998, Sony released a camcorder with night vision so powerful it could see through people’s clothing. Sony immediately issued a recall.” The post linked to a 2016 article published by Fossybytes titled, “When Sony accidentally launched camcorders that could ‘see’ through people’s clothes.”
Another Reddit post claimed, “Sony tweaked its NightShot camera, but didn’t remember camcorders already on shelves,” while an X (formerly Twitter) after said: “In 1998, Sony’s camcorders could see through clothing thanks to an infrared feature intended for night vision. This led to a massive recall, marking a major event in tech history.”
Social media users shared the same rumor on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, with one post from November 2023 reaching more than 1.3 million views.
It is true that Sony released its “NightShot” camcorder, which, under certain conditions (for example, when the subjects wore very thin fabrics) and with a special filter, was able to detect and display the contours of some people’s bodies under their clothes. However, we found no evidence to support the claim that 700,000 of the camcorders were immediately recalled after the unintended feature was discovered by users. Instead, Sony announced that it had halted shipments of the remaining unsold devices until changes could be made.
We found several news articles from 1998 on this topic. For example, in August 1998, The Washington Post published an article entitled “UNDRESSED IN A FLASH? CAMERA CAN CREATE REVEALING PORTRAITS.” It said Sony has stopped shipping its Handycam video cameras until changes are made:
This month, the Japanese electronics giant halted shipments of its Handycam video cameras until changes are made, after a Japanese magazine revealed that the cameras’ infrared “Nightshot” feature, intended to capture nighttime images such as sleeping babies and nocturnal animals, possibly an unintended bonus under certain daytime conditions: the ability to see through clothing. The modified models do not allow use of the function in daylight, but many original versions are still on the shelves of local stores.
“Under precise conditions you think you’re going to see something, but you don’t,” Steve Uhrig, president of SWS Security, a Maryland company that produces surveillance systems for government agencies, said in an interview with the Post, adding that “Infrared rays can penetrating and reflecting back through lightweight clothing, but not in real detail. You see something large and dense on the other side of the clothing. It’s the same illusion as X-rays.” The article continued (emphasis ours):
Sony first discovered the potential of its product when Takarajima, a popular Japanese men’s magazine, reported in July that the camera combination with a cheap filter and specific circumstances – such as a subject wearing tight, light clothing – allows viewers to see underwear or look under swimwear when the Nightshot feature is activated.
Sony officials are careful to acknowledge that there may be some truth to that. “Engineers in Japan attempted to replicate what was said in the news report,” said Sony spokesperson Dulcie Neiman. “In some very special circumstances — depending on the daylight, the type of clothing, the texture, the color, the thickness, how much clothing is worn, the distance of the person from the camera — that reported capacity could be replicated.”
The New York Times published an article about the rumor in December 1998, claiming that it contained “only the barest grain of truth: in skilled hands, during the day, under just the right conditions, with just the right (gauze-like) substances.” , it might be possible to create an image of a body underneath. Of course, the camera couldn’t see through clothes, and there was no memory”:
Sony was only slightly embarrassed; what the company had in mind with the No Lux feature, the press release said, was “capturing nighttime activities, such as a new baby sleeping.” Although 400,000 units had been sold, Sony adapted the infrared emitters on new cameras to remove even the slightest possibility of intrusive video recording.
An August 1998 CNN Money article titled “Sony’s Naked Cam Scam?” explained that the claim about the camcorder’s ability to “be used to film more of their subjects than meets the eye” “seemed to be based more on excitement than substance.” It highlighted that Sony said the camera’s night vision was offered for photographing wildlife and other night scenes. Sony also confirmed that “with a special lens and under very special conditions, the NightShot cameras appear to see through clothing”:
In bright sunlight, the infrared camera with that “special” lens revealed nothing that the naked eye could not see.
“It was nothing,” said Steve McFradden, a B&H sales associate. “It was intended for seeing in the dark, not for seeing through clothing.”
CNN also reported that “Sony has updated its NightShot camera, but has no plans to recall the approximately 400,000 units already shipped to the US”:
These 400,000 are the subject of increasing interest. “I talked to a whole group of people and they didn’t buy the camera for that reason,” McFadden said. “But they asked a lot of questions and were very curious about it.”
We found a video published by The Associated Press titled “JAPAN: SONY VIDEO CAMERA TURNS OUT TO HAVE X-RAY VISION.” The description stated that “the camera – using a cheap filter – can see through people’s clothing,” adding that Sony says it has removed the special feature from new versions of the camera. The article informed that Sony discovered the potential of its product through an article in Takarajima, Japan’s best-selling men’s magazine:
The magazine reported that a filter costing less than $7 will allow Handycam users to see under certain types of clothing during the day when the camera’s “night shot” mode is activated.
The article was accompanied by a dozen photos taken with the camera showing different colors of clothing, wet and dry, on female models.
Sony has no plans to recall camcorders, spokeswoman Dolcy Nyman said in an interview with Wired. “Every television station has the equipment that can duplicate this effect, as does anyone who has a professional camcorder,” Randall Herron, a photography equipment salesman who specialized in surveillance and infrared video equipment, told Wired. “Any sheer blouse or clothing: if you hit it with enough light you get a silhouette of what’s underneath; and that’s really all you get with these Sony camcorders.” The article reported that Sony said it had changed the NightShot feature so it couldn’t be turned on when the ambient light was high enough to make the feature redundant. “The new cameras only show a blank white screen in daylight when NightShot is enabled,” it reported.
Phil Petescia, who worked as a marketing manager at Sony for Handycam in 1998, contacted us via email and confirmed that Sony had not recalled the cameras:
We didn’t remember the cameras. Under certain settings, enhanced by an additional lens, they could record through thin black clothing if the person was wearing white underwear (or had very light skin). I went to Macy’s in Paramus and bought every black swimsuit they had and we tested it.
We stopped shipments while a rework was in progress, eliminating this situation. However, we cut a TV commercial we had recorded (which is still floating around the internet) in which someone sneaks in in the dark while a cat and a dog lovingly embrace each other. We thought it was a bit too risky. Breck Eisner, Michael’s son, directed that commercial.
In February 2024, we investigated a similar claim about whether full-body imaging machines used by the Transportation Security Administration show a person’s genitals when they pass through a scanner.
Sources:
AP. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=ad99e1a3930185817a1275d284408e3b&mediatype=video&source=youtube. Accessed April 17, 2024.
Dapcevich, Madison. “Do TSA full-body scans show…everything?” SnackingFebruary 1, 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/tsa-full-body-scans-private-parts/.
News, ABC “Cameras let voyeurs see through clothes.” ABC news, https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126782&page=1. Accessed April 17, 2024.
Nickell, Joe Ashbrook. “See you, see me.” Wired. www.wired.com, https://www.wired.com/1998/08/see-you-see-me/. Accessed April 17, 2024.
Patton, Phil. “PUBLIC EYE; Seeing in the Dark.” The New York TimesDecember 3, 1998. NYTimes.comhttps://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/03/garden/public-eye-seeing-in-the-dark.html.
Sony’s NightShot is put to the test – August 14, 1998. https://money.cnn.com/1998/08/14/technology/camera_pkg/. Accessed April 17, 2024.
Tiwari, Aditya. “When Sony accidentally launched camcorders that could see through people’s clothes.” FossbytesJanuary 28, 2016, https://fossbytes.com/sony-accidentally-launched-camcorders-see-peoples-clothes/.
“STRETCHED IN A FLASH? CAMERA CAN CREATE REVEALING PORTRAITS.” WashingtonPostMarch 2, 2024. www.washingtonpost.comhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/15/undressed-in-a-flash-camera-may-take-revealing-portraits/540d587e-c68a-42b4-af73-1b4df6954d35/.