Apparently, Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to use security cameras inside their properties. According to The Verge, the measure will come into force on April 30th.
Behind this decision, there is one main idea: ensuring user privacy. Remember that, before, house owners had the possibility of installing cameras in common areas. Living rooms, hallways, or kitchens are some of these examples.
Cameras cannot be present even in common spaces
Furthermore, as mentioned by the same source of information, Airbnb required hosts to communicate the locations where the cameras would be displayed. These would have to be clearly visible and easily identifiable, even if there was a ban on installing them in private spaces, such as bedrooms and bathrooms.
From April 30th onwards, cameras will not even be present in common spaces. One of the reasons for this to happen may be the fact that Airbnb has received multiple complaints from guests who detected hidden cameras, without knowing it.
Another measure implemented by the company is related to the prohibition of hosts having external cameras that allow them to control what happens inside the house. As The Verge mentions, this prohibition takes place in external areas where there is “a great expectation of privacy”.
Illustrative Image (Pexels)
There will be noise detectors to control noise inside the home
In this batch of decisions made by Airbnb, there is also a functionality that will allow property owners to understand the noise that is made in the house. This will be possible through noise decibel monitors, which indicate whether, by hypothesis, a party could be taking place inside the home.
Based on the words of Juniper Downs, head of community policy at Airbnb, the changes made by the company aim to satisfy the community as much as possible. It guarantees that guests, hosts and privacy experts were consulted before taking any definitive measures.
That being said, by the end of April, the 30th, home owners will have to remove any type of security camera that may exist inside the home. If this condition is violated, Airbnb states that it can choose two options: either remove the listing or the host's account.