“That’s Not a Real Cactus”: Viral Video Highlights Camera Hidden Inside Arizona Saguaro

A video posted to X highlights a large Saguaro cactus in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The object appears to resemble a Saguaro cactus but is fitted with visible camera lenses. As the video gets closer, a pair of lenses can be very clearly seen in the body of the "cactus."

Hidden inside this fake cactus is a license plate-reading camera reads the post. "Paradise Valley installed these disguised 'cact-eye' cameras to catch speeding and other violations."

Viewers Discuss the Purpose of the Hidden Camera

A user in the comments confirmed this, adding that this instance is not the first time these types of hidden cameras have been seen in the area.

"Paradise Valley and Scottsdale have been up to these shenanigans before. The last time it took 2 years to remove the ticket cameras that littered the highways once the contract expired. No vote to install. Private contractor, under the table politics," said the user.

Hiding the cameras is different from keeping them visible on stoplights, installed at intersections throughout the state. Some privacy advocates argue concealed cameras raise additional privacy concerns.

According to commenters, these particular cameras only extends to reading license plates. Once the plates are read, they are put into a database of reported stolen vehicles, which is then used to alert police if a match occurs.

Though this is the sole purpose of these cameras, utilizing them in this way could potentially open up doors to other kinds of hidden surveillance.