Do not expect Airbnb to come crashing down on the voyeurs who hide cameras in rental spaces any time soon.
If you have been worried that a camera might be hidden in your Airbnb, you might be right. Airbnb has policies against it, and it is illegal in many places, but that doesn't stop the creeps from hiding cameras. Hosts or prior guests can stash cameras in all sorts of places as new, cheaper, and smaller variants constantly appear, and it seems there is not much that can be done, even if the company is willing.
"We were aware of it, there were an abundance of cases coming in," said one former Airbnb employee who asked to remain anonymous due to a non-disclosure agreement with the company. The employee, whose team dealt with safety and privacy issues, said hidden cameras were among the group's top concerns.
Despite those concerns, the company for years allowed video surveillance by hosts in common areas, if the cameras were disclosed to guests.
Chloe LeBrument, who traveled to London, Ontario, last summer with her fiancé for a music festival, found a camera hidden in a charger in the bedroom at an Airbnb rental.
"I'm sure there's many, many people that have left the room having no idea that … they had been recorded," said LeBrument, whose host has been criminally charged with voyeurism. LeBrument described feeling angry and disappointed by the experience.
CNN
Previously:
• American Airlines blames a 9-year-old girl for not noticing the hidden camera being used to film her in jet bathroom
• Woman finds hidden camera disguised as rock pointed at her home
