Airbnb announced in March that all indoor security cameras would be banned at its properties worldwide starting April 30. And if you read through online complaints about cameras that were discovered during Airbnb stays over the years, it’s easy to understand why it’s been such a controversial issue.
Gizmodo filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FTC for any consumer complaints filed about Airbnb that involved cameras. Some of the complaints are fairly mundane, and simply mention how cameras may have been used to prove things that break the rules at Airbnb properties. But others are pretty horrifying and involve hidden cameras in places where people expect privacy.
One of the complaints from someone in Seattle who was visiting South Korea in 2023 reads, “During the course of our stay we discovered that the camera at the entrance that was only supposed to record the front door actually had 360 recording capabilities in addition to audio and night mode.”
Another complaint from 2022 alleges that an Airbnb host “confessed” to having cameras, “in every inch of this house,” including the bedrooms. When the guest told the host that it was illegal, he allegedly replied, “sue me then.”
Still, another complaint from 2023 explains, “My husband and I had a romantic moment on the sofa and we believe they had cameras inside the house and recorded us.” The complaint continues by expressing concern that intimate acts could’ve been recorded and seen by people outside the home.
One of the weirder stories comes from someone who alleges their family was being watched by cameras in their Airbnb property and was complaining amongst themselves, only to receive a text message from the host discussing their private conversation.
Hidden cameras have always been banned at Airbnb, but cameras in public areas like living rooms were allowed. Airbnb will officially ban all indoor cameras at its properties worldwide at the end of this month. And the company points out that there’s been at least one case in the past when someone thought they found a hidden camera, but it was actually just a wall outlet.
“We enforce strict policies governing the use of security cameras on Airbnb, including recently announcing a ban on indoor cameras in listings and more comprehensive rules for outdoor cameras,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Gizmodo via email. “When a potential violation of our policies is reported to us, we take that seriously, provide support for our community, investigate the allegations, and may suspend or remove users or listings. With over 1.5 billion check-ins on Airbnb to date, issues are incredibly rare.”
Gizmodo received 111 complaints stretching back five years and we’ve published a sample of those complaints below. The FTC has redacted personal information, which is standard practice in these kinds of FOIA requests, making it impossible to independently verify each claim. Gizmodo has added emphasis in the areas of each complaint that mention cameras and we’ve made very light edits for capitalization and punctuation just for legibility. The substance of the complaints hasn’t been changed.
“The seller confessed to me that, ‘I have cameras in every inch of this house…’”
- December 2023
- Consumer location: Montgomery, Alabama
On December 27, 2022 I booked a reservation on Airbnb with the seller [redacted]. The confirmation code is [redacted]. This was booked a year ago, I am only writing a complaint now because recently I learnt how how disgusting and creepy the seller is. To start off, when I first checked in to this Airbnb everything looked perfect to the naked eye. The seller welcomed me in and started some unwanted conversation. I didn’t mind because some people just don’t know that they aren’t liked and they are bothering people.
My debit card ending in [redacted] was charged $428.41 on December 27, 2022. The amount covered 14 nights and whatever fees Airbnb covers. To get to the main point of this complaint is the seller confessed a confession to me and this confession reveals how creepy the seller turned out to be. The seller confessed to me that, “I have cameras in every inch of this house”?? This included the bedrooms, etc. When I told him it’s illegal and, he replied, “sue me then.” According to Airbnb, I understand that camera are not allowed unless they are disclosed in the listing. They were not, if the were, do you think I would have booked? So the seller has been breaking the rules. I think Airbnb should take disciplinary action against the seller [redacted] and since the listing wasn’t as described I should be refunded. I can’t just help but just look back at the times I was just chilling in my bedroom or wherever and the creep [redacted] was just watching me.
“We noticed the camera had fully turned around…”
- October 2023
- Consumer location: Seattle, Washington
My friends and I booked an Airbnb for a wedding in April 2023. The wedding took place Sept 21-26 in Seoul during which time we had booked this accommodation. Upon checking in we suspected that the Airbnb was not legally registered but as there was no other accommodation to be found for our group we had no choice but to stay.
During the course of our stay we discovered that the camera at the entrance that was only supposed to record the front door actually had 360 recording capabilities in addition to audio and night mode. We noticed the camera had fully turned around and was now illegally recording into the living room and a private bathroom/bathing space without our consent. We raised the issue with the host and Airbnb and asked for the footage, which she refused to provide.
My understanding is that in South Korea (as well as in the US where Airbnb is a registered business) recording anyone without their consent is a federal violation, much less illegally recording them while nude in a bathing space. The unit in question is located at: [redacted]
Airbnb has refused to issue a full refund despite the Federal Privacy Law and its own privacy policy violations. In addition, despite being provided with evidence showing the cameras 360 recording capabilities, along with night mode and audio recording, as well as pictures showing the camera lens’s direct line of vision into a bathroom with glass walls and a private living space, Airbnb has failed to produce any of the footage recorded during our stay. This is fraud in additional to a criminal offense as members of our party were illegally recorded while bathing without their consent.
“But when my friend covered the camera inside the room to take a shower, the landlord cast them out…”
- June 2023
- Consumer location: Jersey City, New Jersey
I booked Airbnb from June 14 to June 18 for my friends to live in New York City. The total amount is $1,211.93. The confirmation number is [redacted]. However, this apartment we rent was dirty. There are used masks hanged there, trash not cleaned, bathroom is so dirty that my friend spend half hour to clean. The bed sheet was pilling, and there were only two pillows for four people. The blankets were unfolded and put in the closet carelessly. Plus, there is a camera tightening on a chair INSIDE the room to watch a closet. I contacted Airbnb the next day and wanted to cancel this trip but failed. The Airbnb said it hadn’t touched their ground line. But when my friend covered the camera inside the room to take a shower, the landlord cast them out by threatening to call the police for they violate the house rules. What I want is to get the money of remaining two nights back. I tried to contact Airbnb, but they said the landlord refuse to return the money, and they can’t do anything about it. So I have to ask HELP from BBB. What I want is to get the two nights money back, which is $500.
“I never said anything to them about not enjoying my stay, just to my family in the home.”
- October 2020
- Consumer location: Memphis, Tennessee
Airbnb has host that are watching and listening to their guest. I was told the security camera with no audio was for security purposes only, but I get a text message about the blankets that were on the couch my son was sleeping on. Later we were discussing our discomfort for the place and how we felt we were being watched, we get another text message, while attending a wedding, about how they apologize that we didn’t enjoy our stay. I never said anything to them about not enjoying my stay, just to my family in the home. That type of stuff isn’t right, and to come cut a yard that was already cut just did it for me. Do not rent out your home if you don’t want people in it, or was it because we were black? I don’t know, but Airbnb needs to do something and they are not taking this serious. I never had these type of problems with booking.com.
“The listing did NOT disclose cameras in the bedrooms…”
- July 2019
- Consumer location: Queens, New York
I stayed in a rental property listed on Airbnb in St. Peterburg, Russia from July 11th until July 17th. Once we got to the apartment, we learned that every room in the apartment, excluding the bathrooms, had cameras. The devices were identical in every room. When someone would walk underneath the camera, a small red light would go on. Additionally, we heard a slight shutter sound, as if a shutter was opening in the eye. I contacted Airbnb who conducted an investigation. The results were as follows:
-The listing disclosed cameras in the [redacted] common areas, [redacted] such as the hallway. (The living room had a camera which was not disclosed)
– The listing did NOT disclose cameras in the bedrooms, as having cameras in the bedrooms would violate Airbnb’s rules
– Airbnb concluded that the devices in the bedroom were NOT recording devices. Additionally, they said that the devices in the bedrooms were DIFFERENT from the devices in the rest of the apartment.
What I want to understand is the following:
– How did Airbnb conclude that the devices were different? Did they conduct an on-site investigation? I not only have photo proof of the cameras, the cameras can also be plainly seen in the listing’s photos. The devices were identical in every room.
– If Airbnb concluded that the devices in the bedroom were NOT surveillance devices, what are they? IN ADDITION to the apartment having cameras, we were charged a $119.20 cleaning fee per night, a total of The host did NOT clean the apartment during our entire duration of the stay. We should not have been charged for this.
Airbnb refunded me for one nights’ worth of stay at $175.04. I am requesting the following:
– A refund for the entire duration of the stay, $1252.98.
– AT THE VERY LEAST, if this investigation doesn’t unearth any additional information due to Airbnb’s refusal to share information about the investigation, I’m requesting a refund for the cleaning fee of $119.20 considering no cleaning took place.
– I’m also requesting that my review of my stay be posted. Currently Airbnb does not allow users to post reviews of their stay UNTIL THE HOST also submits of review of the user. As you can imagine, the host will not review me because she doesn’t want people to have a negative review on her listing: The listing not only mentions the cameras, but also talks about her sub-par performance as a host. People need to know that there are cameras in the bedrooms: Airbnb’s investigation is shady and if you do a simple Google search, you will see that many other people have had this issue. The host does not have any negative reviews. I find it hard to believe that she’s had multiple people staying at her apartment without anyone noticing (or CARING) about the fact that there were cameras in the bedrooms. Airbnb is not posting my review due to their tit-for-tat review system, which is a generally unfair system overall. It does not encourage the users to be open an honest, because if they leave a negative review, they will receive a negative one in return.
“Adding to the discomfort and violation of our privacy, we also discovered that there was a camera inside the property.”
- May 2023
- Waterdown, Ontario
I am writing to share an experience like no other that I recently had with an Airbnb property and its owner. My family (myself, my wife, our son and dog) booked a property on Airbnb for a 5 week getaway, but upon arrival, we found ourselves in an unsafe neighborhood that made us feel uncomfortable and uneasy. We raised our concerns with the owner, but they refused to acknowledge the issue and claimed that the area was perfectly safe.
Due to our concerns about safety, we made the difficult decision not to stay in the property. However, when we reached out to discuss a refund for our stay, the owner refused to provide any sort of compensation and insisted on keeping our entire payment of $4,800.
Adding to the discomfort and violation of our privacy, we also discovered that there was a camera inside the property. This was not disclosed in the listing or during the booking process, which made us feel even more uneasy about our experience. The owner insisted it was broken, but we couldn’t help but wonder were there more cameras?
What’s even more concerning is that the owner was able to rent the property to other parties during the time of our stay. Airbnb allowed them to keep our money, effectively allowing them to make double the amount for the same period (we have screenshots of this).
This experience has left us feeling frustrated and disappointed with Airbnb, as well as concerned for the safety and well-being of other travelers who may encounter similar situations. It’s unacceptable for an Airbnb host to dismiss the concerns of their guests, refuse to come to a reasonable solution, and withhold payment for a service that was not rendered.
I hope that sharing this experience with CBC News will help raise [redacted] about the importance of safety and transparency in the Airbnb industry, and encourage Airbnb to take appropriate action to ensure that their hosts prioritize the well-being of their guests.
We have tried tirelessly to get some sort of compensation through Airbnb, the host and our credit card company (they reversed the charge but Airbnb did a chargeback)
Anything you can do to assist or recommended would be appreciated.
“My husband and I had a romantic moment on the sofa and we believe they had cameras inside the house and recorded us”
- February 2023
- Consumer location: Michigan
We rented a cabin in Maggie Valley for 3 nights from Dec 23-Dec 26. We were a large group of friend and family with 3 cabins rented. Upon arrival we decided to share a meal together at our cabin. Shortly I start receiving calls from the host who said there are 13 ppl in his cabin while the listing states clearly only 4. I apologized and explained that we only wanted to share a meal all together but I understand and everyone will leave immediately. He was on the speaker so everyone stood up and left. Shortly I received another call from his wife, demanding a FaceTime call so she can see the place. I answered and made a tour of the place where she could see we were the only ppl in the cabin. But she was not satisfied with that, she started insulting us and treating us that she would call the police she will evacuate us and she will not give us any money back. After 10 minutes of screaming her husband has to take the phone from her and hang up not before telling us he doesn’t want to see not even 1 extra person at his property. When asked, he admitted they have camera outside the cabin. In all this conversation, my children were scared and afraid that we will have to leave and find another place. That night the temperature was 1F (-18C) and we put the thermostat at 80 degrees. Next morning we found the thermostat blocked with a PIN number (which we didn’t know) at 72F. The host never send us any message or anything, simply invaded our privacy and blocked the temperature. My son got sick and started bleeding from his nose so we had to boil water so he can inhale the steam in order to breath from the vapor and the steam the handle from the microwave above the stove got bubbled. The host placed a damage request for $150 and few days later another one for $150 cleaning the sofa. We repeatedly asked Airbnb to tell us what proof they have for charging us $150 deep cleaning the sofa but no answer was received. They charged the card $300. My husband and I had a romantic moment on the sofa and we believe they had cameras inside the house and recorded us. We are scared that someone recorded us and could use this and even watching it.
“There was a camera inside the house inside the garage filming us…”
- November 2023
- Consumer location: Scottsdale, Arizona
We rented an Airbnb through the platform a house for rent in Scottsdale for $8,500 and when we arrived to the house there was a camera inside the house inside the garage filming us. We were disturbed and notified the host. Upon entering the house there was a very strong smell of chemicals throughout the house. We tried to air it out by leaving the door open but it wouldn’t go away. We attempted at this point to cancel the reservation because of health concerns over the toxic smell as well as being uncomfortable with the camera inside the garage.
The host attempted to “solve these problems” but did not do so. The smell did not go away, and we did not feel safe in the house. We were forced to rent another home. We involved Airbnb to get a refund since the host refused to issue us a refund. Airbnb ignored us and kept me on hold on 3 seperate calls for 45 mins – 1 hour each time completely ignoring our severe situation. After several messages they only replied 12 days later. They disregarded our severe situations and refused to give us a refund. We never stayed in the house for even 1 nights and they would not return our money $8,500.
After multiple attempts to contact them they refuse to do anything about it and lie to us telling us they can’t do anything about it because it’s the hosts refund policy. We have used them for 7 years and know for sure they can intervene in these situations and force the hosts to issue a refund. Especially when it involves health and privacy / security issue. We were discriminated against and stonewalled. They effectively allowed this host to steal $8,500 dollars from us. We notified them on day 1 as soon as it happened. As well as the host. They refused to cancel or refund us and continued lying and making excuses why they had to keep our money.
“My daughter has dealt with past trauma that included cameras and this really hit home for us.”
- October 2020
- Consumer location: Austin, Texas
My family and I booked a stay for a party of 7 to what we thought would be the perfect place for our overnight stay in Houston. Upon arriving, we noticed there were two security cameras placed in the apartment (they claimed it was a penthouse). One was outside the front door and the other was in the living room. We would not have booked this stay had we known we would be watched. My daughter has dealt with past trauma that included cameras and this really hit home for us. When I reached out to Airbnb Support, I explained my situation and let the Support Representative know about our issue via email. I explained that we would not have booked this stay had we known about the cameras. He shared their policy with me and told us the host listed the use of security cameras in the Health and Safety portion of the listing. The policy specifically stated the security cameras should have been disclosed in the House Rules which it was not. I sent screenshots of the same policy the rep sent me where it clearly said it should be mentioned in the House Rules and I was told that it was disclosed in the listing period. There was no sympathy or regard for our experience even after explaining why this affected us so much. Airbnb was not willing to work with us whatsoever and dismissed my obvious claims of an incorrect listing of security cameras within the apartment we booked. I requested a refund and was ignored. The policy specifically states the cameras should be disclosed in the House Rules. We would not have booked this stay had we known about the cameras. This caused my oldest daughter and I a lot of emotional [redacted].
Have you had an experience with Airbnb or any other tech platform that you’d like to share? Drop me a line at mnovak@gizmodo.com.
