Smile, you are filmed by a hidden camera

Not so long ago, a curious article appeared on businessinsider.com. There is a list of life hacks that will help calculate the hidden camera in the apartment. And not in some abstract, but in the one that can be rented on the Airbnb resource.

If you write down in Google, for example, ‘Airbnb watching me’ or ‘Airbnb hidden camera’, you will be surprised how many people talk about the unpleasant experience of living in an apartment rented on a popular resource.

Of course, we all ‘purely human’ and understand that the host just wants to be sure that you will not tear the flat apart, but will enjoy your stay culturally. And there is nothing wrong with that. In addition, that very often owners do not mention the presence of a hidden device in the room. And the site’s rules do not indicate that there shouldn’t be any security cameras in the apartment. So it will turn out an unpleasant surprise for the guests.

Not the first time

It seemed that this could only happen in some strange thriller where the landlord secretly watches the guests and studies their habits so that later they can use it for their own purposes.

Somewhere in the middle of 2018, people started contacting support. And everyone has about the same complaint: we discovered illegal tracking of us in a rented apartment. Airbnb operators professionally dismissed, they say, what’s wrong with that, if you looked closely at the photo of the apartment, you would see security cameras under the ceiling. But the truth is.

The funny thing in all these stories is that the owners of the premises were offended by the guests and left negative feedback about them on the resource. Yes, yes, it’s right in no way!

Of course, this paid off, and Airbnb prescribed a whole set of rules regarding the use of hidden cameras in apartments.

How not to be trapped?

In addition to the standard tips for checking third-party Wi-Fi connections using the special Fing or Network Scanner applications, we recommend the following.

Be sure to carefully study the apartment page on the Airbnb website. In the description, the owner must indicate how many cameras with video surveillance in the housing or near it are located and where exactly (for example, they should not be in the bathroom and bedroom). Otherwise, he will be fined. And ask for as many additional photos as possible. So you can study almost all the surfaces in the apartment on which the device can be placed.

Better yet, book a hotel room. So you will definitely get maximum pleasure from the rest. After all, even if you know about the presence of cameras in the room, this will not let you relax.

Renting a house with Airbnb is a small but still a risk. Take care of your safety and remember the more time you spend searching for a camera, the less you will have to travel.