03/13/2024

Airbnb Bans Renters from Having Cameras Inside their Listings

The reasons behind the decision are important to know

Airbnb hosts may have good reasons to want to install security cameras inside properties they rent out—they've been used to catch theft, vandalism or even just non-compliance with rental rules. But concerns about privacy violations have pushed the property rental company Airbnb to ban all indoor security cameras in all of its listings worldwide.

"Our goal was to create new, clear rules that provide our community with greater clarity about what to expect on Airbnb," Juniper Downs, Airbnb's head of community policy and partnerships, said in a blog post by the San Francisco-based company announcing the new measure on Monday. "These changes were made in consultation with our guests, hosts and privacy experts, and we'll continue to seek feedback to help ensure our policies work for our global community."

Changes to their policy, according to Airbnb, which previously allowed indoor cameras in common areas such as living rooms so long as they were disclosed, will take effect on April 30. The update "simplifies" Airbnb's approach and makes clear that security cameras "regardless of their location, purpose or prior disclosure" are prohibited inside rented-out properties. "As the majority of listings on Airbnb do not report having a security camera, this update is expected to impact a smaller subset of listings on the platform."

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.