A Sydney woman has spoken out about the “soul destroying” experience of being unknowingly filmed by an American content creator ‘pick up’ artist in a video shared to his 1.3 million Instagram followers.
In an interview with the ABC, Amy* (name changed to protect her privacy) said she was approached by a man while walking her dog in Kings Cross. What seemed like an innocent interaction quickly turned uncomfortable as the man persistently asked her out.
“Literally all he wanted to do was for me to take him out. I actually just gave him my number, just to get away from him, because there was no way he was letting me go without my number,” Amy said.
Amy later discovered that the entire conversation had been recorded without her knowledge through the man’s sunglasses and uploaded to his Instagram account, which boasts over 1.3 million followers.
According to the ABC, the content creator regularly posts videos of his interactions with women in public spaces, including several during a recent trip to Australia. The publication also claims he has since left the country.
Amy described the experience as “violating and disgusting,” particularly due to the “horrific comments” from the man’s followers.
“I didn’t even realise that I was getting filmed, let alone Joe Bloggs down the road saying how ugly I am, or how fat I am,” she said
When Amy reported the incident to Kings Cross Police Station, she was reportedly told that while they were aware of the man, there was nothing they could do.
NSW Police confirmed to PEDESTRIAN.TV they had investigated an alleged breach of the Listening Devices Act in relation to a separate incident, but no action was taken.
“Following an investigation into an alleged breach of the Listening Devices Act committed at Bondi on Friday 7 February 2025, there will be no further police action,” NSW Police said.
“NSW Police will not be commenting further.”
Her efforts to approach the creator himself were unsuccessful, with her messages being ignored. Instagram also kept the video up after she reported it for harassment under its Community Standards policy.
Amy was only inspired to speak up after seeing multiple women online talking about their own interactions allegedly with the same man.
Last month, we reported on a story involving a TikTok content creator – Sayed (@itspolokidd), who at the time had 2.3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram – who was accused of filming women without their consent using smart glasses. (His TikTok account no longer appears to be active.)
At the time, a woman named Tahnaya Jae told news.com.au that she was filmed in Kings Cross and after she asked Sayed to take the video down, she was blocked.
“I got off easy compared to some of the other girls. He knows this type of thing is not okay. He wouldn’t have blocked me otherwise. Total power trip,” she said.
Sydneysider Louise McFadden also posted a warning to a Bondi locals Facebook group. “There has been a guy approaching women on the beach, on the street, basically anywhere deemed public space across all of the eastern suburbs,” McFadden wrote.
“He appears friendly enough, however what these women don’t know is that their bodies, faces and reactions are being recorded and for some of them, posted to his 1.2 million followers on Instagram and TikTok.”
Sayed has been contacted for comment.
In both cases, when we reached out to NSW Police, we received the same response: “Following an investigation into an alleged breach of the Listening Devices Act committed at Bondi on Friday 7 February 2025, there will be no further police action.”
Currently, there are no laws in place to restrict people from taking photos of others in public places. However, in NSW it is unlawful “to use a device to record or monitor the private conversation of another without their permission”, per Youth Law Australia. So a video taken with a pair of sunglasses falls into a grey area, underscoring the need for updated legislation to protect individuals’ privacy in an increasingly digital world.
Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney Law School Professor Barbara McDonald also pointed out to the ABC, “What is difficult is when the person … is out of the country.”
“They might be in breach of Australian laws, but it may be very difficult … for them to be prosecuted.”
Sayed has continued to post videos of him asking out women who are seemingly unaware that they are being filmed, with his latest video posted to Instagram yesterday.
Meta, the owner of Instagram, has been contacted for comment.
Lead image: iStock
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