Current:Home > FinanceAirbnb bans indoor security cameras for all listings on the platform -Global Capital Summit
Airbnb bans indoor security cameras for all listings on the platform
View
Date:2025-04-15 11:11:31
Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras from its listings around the world, and hosts have until the end of next month to comply, the lodging rental platform said on Monday.
The company previously allowed those looking to rent out their places use indoor security cameras in common areas so long as the devices were clearly disclosed on the listing page and the cameras were installed in easy-to-see places. Such cameras, which were were barred from bedrooms and bathrooms, are now prohibited inside any Airbnb listing regardless of their ostensible purpose or visibility.
"These changes were made in consultation with our guests, hosts and privacy experts," Juniper Downs, Airbnb's head of community policy and partnerships, said in a statement announcing the policy.
Homeowners listing properties on Airbnb that use indoor security cameras have until April 30 to remove them, the San Francisco company said. Those that don't comply face potentially having their listing or account removed from the platform.
The update is not expected to impact most listings on Airbnb, according to the company, which started in 2017 and which now counts more than 5 million hosts as using its technology.
Outdoor security devices, such as doorbell cameras, are still allowed, but their location needs to be disclosed to would-be guests before they sign the dotted line, Airbnb said.
Advances in technology have heightened concerns about consumer privacy, with the Federal Trade Commission among the agencies sounding the alarm about the myriad ways that personal information is collected and sold to third-party vendors.
Vexing for some travelers, use of security cameras at Airbnb listings was spoofed in a recent episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live, which suggested travelers were being watched from a toilet.
In a more serious vein related to privacy and travel, a Royal Caribbean cruise worker was arrested earlier this month in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after allegedly hiding cameras inside bathrooms of passenger cabins to spy on guests.
- In:
- Airbnb
Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.
veryGood! (82)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Every Time We Applauded North West's Sass
- A Pandemic and Surging Summer Heat Leave Thousands Struggling to Pay Utility Bills
- Extremely overdue book returned to Massachusetts library 119 years later
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- We've Got 22 Pretty Little Liars Secrets and We're Not Going to Keep Them to Ourselves
- 16 Amazon Beach Day Essentials For the Best Hassle-Free Summer Vacay
- Super-Polluting Methane Emissions Twice Federal Estimates in Permian Basin, Study Finds
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Investigation: Many U.S. hospitals sue patients for debts or threaten their credit
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Banks’ Vows to Restrict Loans for Arctic Oil and Gas Development May Be Largely Symbolic
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: This $360 Backpack Is on Sale for $79 and It Comes in 8 Colors
- You'll Whoop It up Over This Real Housewives of Orange County Gift Guide
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Trump’s New Clean Water Act Rules Could Affect Embattled Natural Gas Projects on Both Coasts
- Union wins made big news this year. Here are 5 reasons why it's not the full story
- Detlev Helmig Was Frugal With Tax Dollars. Then CU Fired Him for Misusing Funds.
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Affirmative action in college admissions and why military academies were exempted by the Supreme Court
Warming Trends: The Value of Natural Land, a Climate Change Podcast and Traffic Technology in Hawaii
Close Coal Plants, Save Money: That’s an Indiana Utility’s Plan. The Coal Industry Wants to Stop It.
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Britney Spears hit herself in the face when security for Victor Wembanyama pushed her hand away, police say
Retail spending dips as holiday sales bite into inflation
DJ Khaled Shares Video of His Painful Surfing Accident