Scandal ‘eye damage’ led to the recall of 700,000 Sony products: Cameras can see through clothes in the daytime, people rush to order, sales increased by more than 100%

In 1998, Sony had to recall 700,000 handheld video cameras after customers accidentally discovered the product was capable of seeing through clothing! This type of camera equipped with night-vision technology with infrared lenses allows users to take photos and videos in the dark. But Sony did not expect it to have a different function entirely outside of their expectations.

Picture of a Sony handheld camcorder.

Some users have found that if infrared lenses are used during the day, it is capable of seeing through clothing, including tattoos, lingerie, and body parts.

Sony's camcorder's ability to see through the day clothes was first discovered by Greg Hunter, who used to be a reporter for Good Morning America. To illustrate, Greg showed that he could peek inside the clothes of two volunteers: A man with a tattoo under his shirt and a woman wearing nothing under a patterned skirt black.

It is known that this function works best when spinning dark clothes and thin swimsuits because the degree of penetration depends on how well the fabric absorbs infrared light.

In complete darkness, infrared light reflects most objects and any heat-producing object will emit the same kind of light itself. However, under normal lighting conditions, the night-vision feature will essentially enhance the available light, thus making it able to see through thin clothing when used with a pink filter. Foreign is not too expensive.

Shortly after that discovery, retailers were engulfed by a series of consumer order calls. All want to own this product before they are withdrawn and replaced.

Jesse Roggio, an employee at a store in Philadelphia, said: " Today, every half hour, we receive an order call. Sales of this 'defective' product have increased by at least 100% compared to with the usual.

Many people even order without asking in advance what the price is. Before the see-through feature was discovered, we had a lot of products in stock but now it's out of stock. So we are very happy . "

Images recorded by Sony cameras are said to show the black underwear of a woman.

According to an ABC News article, they found at least 12 websites featuring images of women who looked almost naked when filmed with Sony cameras, despite the fact that they were wearing clothes or swimsuits. .

Upon learning of this problem, Sony quickly recalled all 700,000 new products to the market and changed this functionality in new camcorders. This is the largest recall in the company's history.

However, even when Sony introduced a new product, many users were skeptical and still found a way to make it see through clothing by using special filters.

For its part, Sony said it has changed the feature and the new camcorder will only display a blank white screen when that mode is enabled during the day. Meanwhile, there are suggestions that the camera is not "divine" as people talk, but can only allow users to see faintly.

According to Reuters, night vision technology has been around since March 1998 and by the end of June that year, there were about 870,000 cameras equipped with this feature sold worldwide. It is known that 6 out of 10 models of Sony handheld cameras at that time were equipped with night vision technology, with retail prices from 650 USD to 1,400 USD.

A legal question as a result of the widespread use of the camera has been raised, however, Sony does not assume any liability because no law can be used to apply to the situation. ironically like that. However, Sony is not liable for the above incident.

Martha Davis, Director of the Organization for Women, said: " I am very angry about this and I think everyone will feel the same when going out and being seen through clothes by others. Courts should consider this a violation of privacy . "