Airbnb bans indoor cameras: What guests and hosts need to know before booking

Can travellers finally find holiday privacy with Airbnb's new indoor camera ban? Here's what security experts say.

For travellers who have ever been concerned about being watched or potentially filmed while on holiday at an Airbnb rental, the company is trying to put those fears to rest. Airbnb announced on 12 March 2024 that a worldwide ban on all security cameras inside rental properties using their services would go into effect at the end of next month.

This change was made as part of efforts to simplify the brand's policy on security cameras and other devices and to continue to prioritise the privacy of the community, a representative for Airbnb said. The new policy will take effect on 30 April, allowing property owners time to adjust, and going forward Airbnb claims it will take action against those who violate its policy, including removing hosts from the platform.

In the past, Airbnb has allowed security cameras in living spaces, such as hallways and living rooms – but not bedrooms and bathrooms – as long as they were disclosed to those staying in the home.

I personally had the experience of staying in an AirBnb with cameras and found it startling. Several years ago, while on holiday with a group of friends (including small children), I stayed in an Airbnb rental. It was during the fall and we had a fire roaring. There weren't many logs near the fire, so one of us went into the garage to look for additional cords. We found extra wood and brought a few pieces inside. Within an hour, we'd received a message from the owner that they'd seen us in the garage, which we were not to go into, and we'd be charged for the wood we'd taken.

To be fair, the host had noted this in the massive rule book they'd left. Airbnb cautions travellers to read the rules extensively, however it did not change the fact that we all felt a bit spied upon. We checked the bathrooms and bedrooms carefully for cameras and left quickly the next morning. 

Bridget Shrivell, a property owner in Connecticut, US, who rents her own home on Airbnb, told us she doesn't use cameras and she'd prefer other owners didn't either.

"As an AirBnb host, I don't use indoor cameras or outdoor cameras," Shrivell says.

She uses Airbnb as a traveller as well and says, "As an Airbnb guest I'm happy Airbnb is banning indoor cameras. I find the practice creepy and I have all sorts of privacy and tech concerns about how those images and videos are used."

As a parent who often travels with her child, Shrivell expressed additional concerns, "Especially as a mom who is already mindful of their child's privacy on social media. It worries me to think if we stay at an Airbnb, she could have been filmed or photographed without her consent and without knowing what happens to those files."

Shrivell added that she doesn't use cameras when renting out her own home, for the same reason, explaining that "from a practical standpoint, as a host, I've never used them… I live in my house, it's my primary residence that I rent out during select periods of the year, so I don't want the cameras when we're living in the home for the same concerns I mentioned as being a guest. I also try really hard to vet the people who stay in my house so that I wouldn't feel like I needed a reason to have cameras."

While Airbnb has just banned indoor cameras, Vrbo's policy against indoor cameras has been around since 2022. Vrbo states that cameras cannot be placed "where you have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as the bathroom or bedroom" and requires that any cameras, even outdoors, be disclosed. Booking.com has the same policy. 

Travellers are advised to read all the information provided by a property host on any site they may be booking through – and check the policy of the site itself. If a traveller is feeling uncomfortable about a company's camera policy, they should book elsewhere.

Of course, there's no guarantee that a host will disclose when they do have cameras in their home. Security expert Kent Moyer, president of the Worldwide Protection Group, advises his clients to avoid vacation rentals entirely for this reason. 

"As a person who has a security mindset, that's the first thing I think about," Moyer says. "But an average person, what happens if all of a sudden they get the video footage or pictures of somebody, whatever they're doing there, having sex or nude, and now post that on social media? So it's an extreme problem… and the Airbnb company could be sued, the owner of the property could be sued as well for privacy and [it] could even be some criminal thing that they could be held liable for."

This may sound far-fetched, but just last year, a couple renting a Maryland Airbnb for a getaway had their private moments captured by the host on multiple cameras in the home. Issues like this – and the resulting lawsuits – are the most likely reason Airbnb has instituted the new policy.

To protect yourself, Moyer says, there are devices available that will help you find cameras within a rental. "You can buy devices that would detect if there is some type of hidden camera or a camera on the property… I highly recommend that you do [this search], even though there may be disclosures that there is no camera system or it's turned off or whatever."

More analog travellers can also do a slow and steady search of the property, using a flashlight (your phone's flashlight will work) and look for the glint of a camera eye. 

Of course, most owners who install cameras on their rental properties probably aren't trying to spy on their guests. Most are simply concerned about their property, says Moyer.

"The owner could be monitoring every time somebody's renting his place…are they going to trash it?" Moyer says. "Are they going to cause a problem or are they going to break something? Are they going to steal something?"

While privacy laws vary worldwide, Moyer and other experts say it's unwise to point cameras at unsuspecting guests. A negative outcome could get you banned for life from Airbnb – or worse, sued and prosecuted.

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