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Despite the frequent controversy around Airbnb customers discovering cameras in their accommodation, Airbnb continues to allow the use of cameras in vacation rentals. As an intermediary between hosts and guests, Airbnb must balance the right of guests to privacy with the right of hosts to keep their rentals secure.
However, its current guidelines for the use of cameras in vacation rentals leave a lot of room for error and a gray area that many are not comfortable with it.
What do guests think of Airbnb cameras?
In one survey which aimed to find out whether or not Airbnb travelers trust their hosts, only 24% agreed with cameras in common areasand 58% said they were worried about hidden cameras, which is a whole different issue on its own.
What is Airbnb’s policy regarding cameras?
Airbnb allows the use of cameras in vacation rentals as long as it is stated in the listing. There are guidelines for hosts to follow that outline what is acceptable and what is not. Here are some things that are never allowed, according to Airbnb:
- Hosts cannot intentionally conceal cameras, which is never allowed, regardless of location.
- Cameras cannot be placed in private spaces such as bathrooms, bedrooms and sleeping areas.
- Hosts must disclose the presence of any cameras or other recording devices like Alexa, even if they are not turned on.
- Hosts cannot actively check in without notifying guests.
Too much room for error
Guests staying at an Airbnb do so for a more personalized experience, and a certain level of privacy is expected. Unfortunately, there are a lot of gray areas for using the camera.
For example, cameras are allowed in common areas like kitchens and living rooms. But what’s stopping this camera from pointing at a more private location like a bedroom or bathroom?
Also, how can a guest know if an active check-in is happening or not if a host is withholding this information? Although this would violate Airbnb policy, is there real way to know if you are registered?
There is no reason for them to fear that their conversations or actions will be listened to or recorded. Some say that if you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. Consider this, many people use Airbnb for remote work Locations. They wouldn’t want sensitive business information to get into the wrong ears, and it could violate company policy.
Current policies leave a lot of room for error. Guests who aren’t comfortable with cameras inside their Airbnb should know where to look to see if their property will include them. However, as noted below, camera disclosures can often be vague and unnecessary.
How do you know if your Airbnb has cameras?
Airbnb policy states that hosts must disclose whether or not their property has security cameras. If so, they should put it on the list and include a description of each device, its location, and whether it will be on or off when checking in customers.
For travelers wondering where to find it on listings, it will be listed in the “What this place offers” section under “Amenities.” Digging deeper will yield more detail, but not much more in many cases. We have included screenshots of various properties in Los Angeles for reference. Our quick research showed that many hosts do not follow Airbnb’s disclosure policy very well, if at all.
While some properties do a great job of disclosing the type of device, its location, and whether it will be on, many don’t. For example, “we have a camera outside” doesn’t tell us much about that camera. Where outside? Will it be energized?
Worse still, some properties just say “security cameras on property”. That’s not even close to following Airbnb’s policy, but many of these properties have hundreds of reviews. A gray area indeed.
Are the ads reliable?
Another thing to consider is that the people who create Airbnb listings are not Airbnb employees; it’s just people who have a space they want to rent on the Airbnb platform. As such, taking the listing at its word will not always guarantee that there are no cameras on the property. In a Reddit post by u/wolfstorethis very situation is described.
Although this message is from a year ago, the problem persists. What stops a host from simply withholding the cameras? Even worse, u/wolfstore goes on to say that the host contacted them about too many cars in the driveway, outright admitting they were watching the camera feed.
Security vs Privacy
Airbnb allows hosts to place recording devices in vacation rentals as long as they are disclosed appropriately. Current camera policies leave a lot of room for error and many travelers are not comfortable with this practice. The company aims to strike a delicate balance between security concerns for hosts and privacy concerns for guests. However, many wonder if the scale is properly calibrated.
If you want to know whether or not your Airbnb will have cameras, check the “amenities” section and hope the host has followed Airbnb’s policy when disclosing their cameras.
Traveler alert: Don’t forget travel insurance for your next trip!
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
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