UK city cracks down on 'auditors' accused of exploiting vulnerable people for views

Backlash is growing over footage from Newcastle city center that appears to show a man taunting a woman playing the accordion by holding out a £20 note, pulling it back as she reaches for it, and then swearing at her.

After drawing 4.2 million views, the video has fueled criticism of creators accused of using the humiliation of vulnerable people to generate online engagement.

Here's what to know

According to The Independent, Newcastle city council and Northumbria Police have given community protection warnings to two self-described "auditors" amid allegations that they used Meta glasses to secretly record vulnerable people and post the videos online.

Officials in Newcastle say some of the clips include people who are drunk, sleeping, or under arrest, with commenters mocking them. The creators describe themselves as "auditors," a label often used by people who say they are testing whether police and other public workers respect the right to film in public.

Mark Mitchell, deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, told the outlet, "These are people who are setting out, it would appear, to film people who are experiencing vulnerability and using that to create clicks on social media. To us, that's really exploitative."

He added that local support services have heard from people who are now more hesitant to seek help because of the filming. "Even if that only happens once, that is not acceptable," he said. "It really is a form of bullying or harassing behaviour. We're recognising that filming people who are vulnerable, either without consent or whether indeed they may not be able to give consent, is not okay."

More background

Chara Bakalis, associate professor in law at Oxford Brookes University, told The Independent that the legal system has struggled to keep pace because recording in public is generally lawful. "The use of technology is changing our understanding of harm so quickly that the law just can't keep up," she said. "It's not so much that the law has considered whether this is harmful and decided it isn't. It just hasn't; we haven't even really thought about it in that way."

A related case surfaced in 2024, when Greater Manchester Police detained a 27-year-old on suspicion of voyeurism and harassment in an investigation linked to viral "nightlife" clips showing vulnerable women recorded without consent. Police later said the case had fallen apart because of "limitations within the current legislation".

Nonconsensual filming has also intensified scrutiny of AI-enabled smart glasses, which The Independent noted some opponents call "pervert glasses."

What's being done?

The warnings issued in Newcastle are civil measures, but repeated noncompliance can lead to formal notices and eventually criminal court action. Mitchell said the council will seek prosecution if the behavior continues and urged Parliament to take action.

Bakalis said the use of civil action shows "authorities are really concerned about this." She told The Independent she expects lawmakers may eventually make secretly recording people in public, then posting and circulating that footage online, a criminal matter. She also said future rules may become more specific about where smart glasses can be used and who can use them.

Meta says it is working to limit abuse on its platforms. A spokesperson said, "Harassing content doesn't belong on our platforms. We're cracking down by removing it, taking action on the accounts behind it, and continuing to refine and evolve our enforcement efforts to stay ahead of anyone who violates our policies."

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