Takeaways from CNN’s Investigation: How Airbnb fails to protect its guests from hidden cameras

A CNN investigation into the company’s hidden camera problem found how it avoids taking responsibility for what happens at the homes it profits from.

For years, Airbnb has known some of its hosts have used hidden cameras to secretly spy on guests, invading their most private and intimate moments. While Airbnb has repeatedly acknowledged the problem in financial filings, it has worked to keep the scope of the issue out of the public eye through arbitration, confidential settlements and employee non-disclosure agreements. The company has also fought against regulations that could protect users and would provide authorities with more insight into who is using the platform. CNN reviewed more than 2,000 pages of lawsuits and police records to understand more about the short-term rental industry’s hidden camera problem. CNN also spoke with nearly two dozen guests who found surveillance devices at vacation rentals or were told by police they were secretly recorded. A CNN investigation found the use of hidden cameras is a persistent problem in the industry. Regulations are sparse, and the punishments for those that commit these crimes are lenient – video voyeurism is typically charged as a misdemeanor. Meanwhile, the people who are recorded – often naked or engaging in sexual activities – say they suffer from long-term trauma and the fear that their images could, at any moment, be disseminated on the internet. An Airbnb spokesperson told CNN that hidden camera complaints are rare, but when they do occur, “we take appropriate, swift action, which can include removing hosts and listings that violate the policy.” At a court-ordered deposition last year, an Airbnb representative was supposed to answer a key question from the attorney suing the company: How many complaints or reports had been made to Airbnb since December 1, 2013, of people who had been recorded by surveillance devices? The Airbnb representative testified that the company generated 35,000 customer support tickets about surveillance devices in the preceding decade. An Airbnb spokesperson told CNN that a single report could create multiple tickets. The company declined to specify how many unique complaints there have been.