Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Meta is playing the AI game with house money

    July 30, 2025

    Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet

    July 30, 2025

    Dropbox is shutting down its password manager

    July 30, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Airbnb Bans All Indoor Security Cameras
    Business

    Airbnb Bans All Indoor Security Cameras

    News RoomBy News RoomMarch 12, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Airbnb will soon ban hosts from watching their guests with indoor security cameras, as the company is reversing course on its surveillance policies.

    As of April 30, hosts around the world must remove indoor cameras and disclose other outdoor monitoring tech to guests before they book. Airbnb previously allowed hosts to install security cameras in common areas of a home, like hallways and living rooms. But it also required hosts to disclose them, make them clearly visible, and keep the cameras out of places like sleeping areas and bathrooms.

    Still, the cameras have been an issue. Guests have reported encountering hidden cameras in their short-term rentals. For hosts, the cameras can be a way to discourage guests from throwing large parties or to stop the gatherings before they become too disruptive. It’s a big enough concern that several companies have started making noise monitoring tech, billing themselves as solutions to protect short-term rentals.

    But guests see them as an invasion of privacy—a watching eye intruding on their vacation.

    “We’re really grateful that Airbnb listened to those of us pushing back and calling for them to actually put safety and privacy first,” says Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a pro-privacy organization.

    In its announcement, Airbnb said that the majority of its listings do not mention a security camera, so the rule change may not affect most listings. Vrbo, another short-term rental platform, already banned the use of visual and audio surveillance inside of properties.

    Airbnb says it will investigate reported violations of the rule, and may penalize violators by removing their listings or accounts. But this policy may struggle to address the camera problem at large, as the company has already required hosts to disclose the indoor cameras, and guests have sometimes reported hidden and undisclosed 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.

    “This just emphasizes the fact that surveillance always gives a huge amount of power to whoever controls the camera system,” says Fox Cahn. “When it’s used in a property you’re renting, whether it’s a landlord or an Airbnb, it’s ripe for abuse.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe Quest to Give AI Chatbots a Hand—and an Arm
    Next Article Elon Musk Might Be Right About Eight Sleep’s Temperature-Regulating Pod 3 Cover

    Related Posts

    Meta’s AI Recruiting Campaign Finds a New Target

    July 30, 2025

    Meta Is Going to Let Job Candidates Use AI During Coding Tests

    July 30, 2025

    The Real Demon Inside ChatGPT

    July 29, 2025

    Programmers Aren’t So Humble Anymore—Maybe Because Nobody Codes in Perl

    July 29, 2025

    60 Italian Mayors Want to Be the Unlikely Solution to Self-Driving Cars in Europe

    July 29, 2025

    Tesla Readies a Taxi Service in San Francisco—but Not With Robotaxis

    July 29, 2025
    Our Picks

    Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet

    July 30, 2025

    Dropbox is shutting down its password manager

    July 30, 2025

    Spotify’s terrible privacy settings just leaked Palmer Luckey’s bops and bangers

    July 30, 2025

    Microsoft reports strong cloud earnings, with Windows and Xbox up too

    July 30, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Layoffs hit CNET as its parent company goes on a buying spree

    By News RoomJuly 30, 2025

    Ziff Davis, the media conglomerate that owns outlets like CNET, ZDNET, PCMag, and Mashable is…

    How Do You Live a Happier Life? Notice What Was There All Along

    July 30, 2025

    Microsoft is getting ready for GPT-5 with a new Copilot smart mode

    July 30, 2025

    Google is using AI age checks to lock down user accounts

    July 30, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.