Starbucks baristas are trained to look for hidden cameras in restrooms

Starbucks employees are trained to look for hidden cameras in the restroom
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Late last week, a woman and her 5-year-old son discovered a smartphone hidden under the sink in the women's restroom of a Starbucks in Lancaster, California, with the camera facing the toilet and recording video. "We're obviously really disturbed by the incident," Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Riley told USA Today on Monday. But this isn't the first a peeping Tom with a camera has struck at Starbucks.

In fact, Riley said, Starbucks employees are trained to check store bathrooms for cameras and other devices on a regular basis. "This isn't the first time we've seen it, but I wouldn't call it common," she said. "And I'm sure it's not specific to Starbucks." Something to keep in mind next time you use a public restroom.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.