Airbnb bans cameras inside rented homes – 03/11/2024 – Tech

Airbnb announced this Monday (11) that it will prohibit property managers listed on the app from installing cameras inside the properties. The change aims to “prioritize privacy”, according to the company.

Until then, the short rental platform allowed the use of cameras in the so-called common areas of accommodations: living rooms, hallways and the inside of the entrance door. The presence of the cameras should be announced in the property advertisement. Devices should also be clearly visible.

Monitoring in bedrooms and bathrooms was already prohibited by the application’s privacy rules.

The new wording of the platform’s rules follows complaints from guests about hidden cameras installed in properties and extortion attempts based on the images captured.

In Brazil, the case of a couple who rented an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, on the coast of Pernambuco, and found a camera behind the mirror in the bedroom socket had national repercussions this year.

Detecting hidden cameras in properties is difficult, as the devices are tiny and can be disguised in different objects on the property.

“You can do this with any screw tip”, he stated, in an interview with Sheet on the occasion, private detective Wilson Teixeira, owner of WT Investigação.

Airbnb’s new privacy terms also bring changes to the installation of external cameras.

The appliances and their location must be advertised in the property’s advertising material. Furthermore, they cannot face internal areas of the property or external environments where privacy is expected, such as showers and saunas.

Landlords will also have to announce if they install noise meters, which are common to check whether parties are taking place on the premises of the rented property. Airbnb has banned social gatherings in its accommodations since 2022.

Administrators will have until the end of April to remove the cameras and comply with the new rules.