It’s
alarming on recent reports of Airbnb hosts installing hidden cameras in their
properties but not disclosing them to the guests staying there. Back in
January Fast Companyreported on a
computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who discovered two
hidden cameras recording him and his family in an Airbnb. And just last
month The Atlantic reported on
a New Zealand family who was renting an Airbnb in Ireland and found they were
being live-streamed from a hidden security camera.
Unfortunately,
these aren’t isolated incidents and in response to increasing reports of guests
finding hidden cameras in their Airbnb rentals, Airbnb says they are cracking
down on hosts who don’t
disclose hidden cameras in their property listings.
Yet
just because Airbnb has a policy forbidding hosts from hiding cameras in their
property without informing their guests, that’s no guarantee all hosts are
complying. So if you don’t like the idea that you could possibly be being spied
on in the comfort of your Airbnb — or wherever
else you’re staying — is there anything you can do
besides taking the host at his word that there are no cameras on the property?
Thankfully, yes.
Keep an eye out for any odd-looking gadgets
Let’s
start with the most basic deterrent: keep your eyes open for any odd-looking
gadgets in your Airbnb. Gadgets that look bulky or out of place in their
surroundings may contain a hidden camera.
Admittedly,
it’s not the easiest thing to spot a gadget containing a hidden camera that
looks out of place, because cameras have become so small, they can be hidden in
virtually any device — and ones anyone can buy on Amazon. Here’s just a small
sample of the types of devices you can buy on Amazon with cameras hidden in
them: alarm clocks, wall clocks, smoke
detectors, plants, mirrors, light bulbs, speakers,
and even USB wall
plugs.
Still,
if you see an alarm clock in a bathroom or some other place you wouldn’t expect
one to be, that could be a tip-off that something is amiss. Similarly, if you
see any devices, such as a USB wall plug pointed directly at a bed or shower,
something could be up.
When
trying to visually spot gadgets with hidden cameras, keep an eye out for
devices that have a clean, unobstructed line of sight.
Use a flashlight to check for camera lenses
Another
trick to use to visually spot hidden cameras is the flashlight trick. A hidden
camera necessitates that its lens is embedded in a regular object. Usually,
that lens is made of glass and the object it’s hidden in is made of plastic or
other non-glass materials.
Glass
is generally more reflective than other materials, so the lenses of hidden
cameras can be rather easy to spot if you shine a light around a room. The
small camera lens should be more reflective than the surface of the surrounding
object.
So
it’s worth giving your Airbnb a once over with your smartphone’s flashlight.
Turn out all the lights in the Airbnb and activate your flashlight. Slowly do a
few sweeps of every room looking for any small, bright flashes of light
relative to the surrounding area. If you spot any coming from an object,
examine it more closely. You may have just found a hidden camera.
Use Wi-Fi-sniffing apps to check for smart devices
Unfortunately,
the above visual checks of an Airbnb aren’t always enough to spot hidden
cameras, even for the keen-eyed person. The good news is there’s an even better
way to identify hidden cameras.
Virtually
all modern hidden cameras, especially the types like the ones listed above, use
wireless technology to connect to the router in the Airbnb so they can stream
the footage over the internet where the host can view it remotely. But the very
fact that these devices are covertly using a wireless signal to stream footage
online makes them vulnerable to detection.
Smartphone
users can use apps like Fing (available
for both iOS and Android) that can display all the wireless devices connected
to a Wi-Fi network. So after arriving at your Airbnb and connecting to the
host’s wireless network, whip out Fing and give that network a scan. It’ll show
your device and any other connected to that same network.
While
Fing and similar apps can’t always identify what types of devices are connected
(is it a hidden camera or just a wireless printer?) the app can display the MAC
address of the connected device, which can give you a hint as to what the
connected device is. Simply enter the MAC address of any identified gadget
at MacVendorLookup.com to
see who the manufacturer is and white type of device the MAC belongs to.
Use an RF detector
Of
course, Fing and apps like it will only reveal connected hidden cameras if they
are on the same wireless network as your smartphone. However, if the host has a
second private wireless network that you don’t have access too, apps like Fing
aren’t going to help you spot hidden cameras.
In
that case, your only solution is to use a dedicated piece of hardware known as
an RF detector. All wireless devices give off a radio frequency (RF) — it’s
what allows Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to exist. An RF detector can hone in on devices
emitting these RF signals, showing you where they are located in an Airbnb.
RF
detectors are small handheld devices that can also be purchased on
Amazon. They’ll usually set you back about $30 to $50 depending on
the model you buy. But they’re worth the cash if you’re worried about shady
Airbnb hosts watching you traipse around their property half undressed after
taking a shower.
Using
an RF detector is simple: just sweep it around the room. If it starts beeping
repeatedly, it’s found a wireless signal coming from some device. Move the RF
detector in the direction that makes the beeps increase until you spot the
likely culprit. If the RF detector is going crazy by a potted plant or smoke
detector, chances are good there’s a hidden camera inside.
What to do if you find a hidden camera
The
first thing you should do if you find an undisclosed hidden camera in your
Airbnb is contact both the host and Airbnb directly and report the camera. It’s
up to you if you also want to file a police report. Hidden camera laws vary by
state and country.
If
you can’t immediately get a hold of the host and feel comfortable staying in
the Airbnb for the time being, consider unplugging the hidden camera if it has
a power cord, which should be enough to stop the camera from working (provided
it doesn’t have an internal battery). If you don’t see any kind of plug, you
can also simply place an object in front of or over the camera.
Finally,
it’s not just cameras you should keep an eye out for. As smart speakers like
the Amazon Echo and Google Home become ubiquitous, you should keep an eye out
for these too. While the host might be including the smart speaker in the
rental for non-nefarious purposes, remember that all smart speakers have
microphones, so it’s conceivable that someone with enough know-how could use
these devices to listen in on your conversations remotely.
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