Nealie and Andrew Barker, from Auckland, were in the midst of a 14-month trip around Europe when they arrived at the Airbnb property with their four children and niece. Once the family had unpacked, Andrew Barker, who works in IT security, scanned the house's Wi-Fi network. The scan unearthed a camera, and subsequently a live feed. From the angle of the video, the family tracked down the camera, concealed in what appeared to be a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector.
The family called Airbnb to report the camera, but Airbnb only told the family that if they canceled, they wouldn't get their money back. Andrew Barker next called the owner of the property. When confronted with the family's discovery, the host hung up.
The family relocated to a nearby hotel and called Airbnb the following day. "They still didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the issue. They continued to treat it like a canceled booking," according to the family. Ultimately, Airbnb's trust and safety team promised to conduct an investigation, and it temporarily suspended the listing.
After the family returned home, Airbnb told the family that the host had been "exonerated," and the listing was reinstated. It was only after the family posted about the incident on Facebook and local New Zealand news stations reported the story that the host was permanently banned.
Stories of hidden cameras in Airbnb properties have been growing over the last few years (see here, here and here), as well as continued concern over the company's lack of proper response to the controversy. In the meantime, the lack of oversight over the company by states and municipalities allows the problem to grow and ensnare more victims. There's no telling how much footage of unsuspecting Airbnb guests are being trafficked on the internet.
In the meantime, travelers are forced to avoid Airbnb altogether or learn how to use their phone or other devices to detect hidden cameras on their own.
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