They banned the all indoor security cameras
Airbnb and TikTok ban the use of hidden cameras and noise decibel monitors for parties and where to place them if you are looking for hidden cameras
The new rules also require hosts to disclose to guests whether they are using noise decibel monitors or outdoor cameras before guests book. Both are used by some hosts to monitor properties for parties, which have continued to bring noise, damage, and danger even after Airbnb instituted a party ban and employed new anti-party tech to try to prevent revelers from booking on its site. Airbnb will also prohibit hosts from using outdoor cameras to monitor indoor spaces, and bars them from “certain outdoor areas where there’s a greater expectation of privacy,” such as outdoor showers and saunas, it says.
The new policy, which takes effect April 30th, has more detailed rules for the use of outdoor security cameras and other devices, which are required to be disclosed before guests book.
There is a page on TikTok dedicated to showing users how to find hidden cameras. The video by Marcus Hutchins has over five million views.
Hutchins advises people to look for devices that are suspiciously placed and shine a bright light at it. He said that if you hit a camera lens it will give a blue-ish reflection.
In a 2022 interview with NPR, Thorin Klosowski — who at the time was privacy and security editor at Wirecutter — also recommends unplugging “anything that looks kind of fishy, whether that’s an alarm clock or just a USB plug that seems random in the wall.”
The Airbnb ban is a win for privacy and privacy, and people who have been victimized by terrorism will be able to take their cameras seriously
The group that serves people who have been targeted by terrorism released a statement welcoming the ban.
Albert Fox Cahn said that no person should need to worry about being recorded in a rental. We know that getting rid of these cameras is a win for privacy and safety, and that the recording devices are ripe for abuse.
The founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project says that they are really grateful that Airbnb listened to them and put safety and privacy first.
