Airbnb Guest Found Hidden Surveillance Camera By Scanning Wi-Fi Network

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A New Zealand family that booked an Airbnb in Ireland recently discovered an undisclosed camera in the living room, and the family says that Airbnb initially cleared the host of any wrongdoing before finally banning the offender from its platform. 'Once the family had unpacked, Andrew Barker, who works in IT security, scanned the house's Wi-Fi network,' CNN reported today. '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.' Nealie Barker posted an image on Facebook showing the location of the camera in the living room and a shot of the family from the sneaky video feed.

Based on the photo, the video of the Barkers seems to have been taken on March 3 and was viewable on the local Wi-Fi network at 192.168.0.4/video/livemb.asp. The family relocated to a hotel and contacted both Airbnb and the property host. The host initially hung up but later called back and told them, 'The camera in the living room was the only one in the house,' CNN wrote. It's not clear whether the host was recording the video, whether he was capturing audio, whether he was monitoring it remotely in real time, or whether he was using it for anything more than monitoring guests. Airbnb temporarily suspended the listing and promised to investigate, CNN wrote. But when Barker contacted Airbnb again two weeks later, 'the company told her that the host had been 'exonerated,' and the listing reinstated.' Airbnb finally banned the host after Nealie Barker posted about the disturbing incident on Facebook on Monday this week. Barker's Facebook post said that Airbnb's 'investigation which didn't include any follow-up with us exonerated the host, no explanation provided,' and that 'the listing (with hidden camera not mentioned) is still on Airbnb.' Airbnb said in a statement to Ars Technica: 'Our original handling of this incident did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves, and we have apologized to the family and fully refunded their stay.'

Airbnb's policy states that hosts must disclose 'any type of surveillance device' in listings, 'even if it's not turned on or hooked up.' Cameras are allowed in certain spaces if they are disclosed, but Airbnb 'prohibit[s] any surveillance devices that are in or that observe the interior of certain private spaces (such as bedrooms and bathrooms) regardless of whether they've been disclosed. If a host discloses the device after booking, Airbnb will allow the guest to cancel the reservation and receive a refund. Host cancellation penalties may apply.'

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