Airbnb bans all indoor security cameras

3 years ago by FlumPHP to c/privacy

Reverendender 92 points 3 years ago

Just now?!?!

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OofN 39 points 3 years ago

For fucks sake, right?? How is this just happening?

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harry_balzac 26 points 3 years ago

Up until now, AirBnB was more concerned about upsetting their providers. Now that local governments are starting to crack down, AirBnB now is more worried about staying in business. Especially if they end up on the losing end of multiple privacy lawsuits.

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authed 57 points 3 years ago

I stopped using airbnb long ago.... hotels can be around the same price too

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PM_Your_Nudes_Please 61 points 3 years ago

Hotels are often cheaper in destination areas, and you get the convenience of fucking room service. In a lot of destination areas, home ownership has rapidly declined in favor of permanent AirBnB rentals. Because why charge $3000 in rent per month to a tenant, when you can charge $350 per night and have AirBnB guests for 20 nights a month?

But it also means Airbnb has landlords getting even more greedy. Cleaning fees are often used as a way to directly increase the rental cost. Requirements for guests are increasingly restrictive. And the nightly rent is often so exorbitant that you can literally get a hotel and room service for cheaper.

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Rayspekt 25 points 3 years ago

Yeah it's gone full-circle like the whole situation with streaming services becoming cable. Funny how the world works so similarly in different places.

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Jumuta 19 points 3 years ago

it's almost as if enshittification is a cycle!

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MotoAsh 7 points 3 years ago

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The_v 20 points 3 years ago

I have priced out Airbnb vs. hotels quite a few times over the past few years at my spouses request. I have never stayed at any of them as they have always been much more expensive for shittier accomodations. It simply doesn't make any sense to me.

This past christmas, renting 2 hotel rooms at a nice hotel was cheaper than the worst dive of an Airbnb near my in-laws.

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makingStuffForFun 18 points 3 years ago

You get to fuck room service? Where do you stay?!

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pipariturbiini 17 points 3 years ago

At the Fuck Hotel in Fukuoka.

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SturgiesYrFase 9 points 3 years ago

I've been, don't believe the hype. Horse sashimi was delicious though.

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ipkpjersi 2 points 3 years ago

Brb, visiting Japan.

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delirious_owl -12 points 3 years ago

Wtf who pays that much for 1 night? That's hotel prices. AirBnBs are like $8-20 per night. That's the point.

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SturgiesYrFase 17 points 3 years ago

Maybe like 10+ years ago

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delirious_owl -3 points 3 years ago

No, that's what I'm paying now. But it depends what country

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rmuk 5 points 3 years ago

Yeah, there's still plenty of places where AirBnB is competitive. When I'm in cities in France and Germany an apartment tends to cost about the same as a hotel room. Outside of cities hotels tend to cost a lot more.

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pezmaker 25 points 3 years ago

And you're not expected to do half the laundry, the dishes, and still pay a cleaning fee.

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kia 13 points 3 years ago

Obviously I won't trash the room, but if I'm paying a cleaning fee, I will not be cleaning...

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sugar_in_your_tea -1 points 3 years ago

The places I've stayed are just:

Put used sheets on the floor
Put dishes in the dishwasher
Take out the trash

I do that anyway while staying there, except for the sheets (takes very little time), and I would probably do it anyway even if not asked (though I'd keep the sheets on the bed) because that's just common decency imo.

When I stay at hotels or rent cars, I do essentially the same thing, and I usually leave a tip because I know the cleaning staff get paid very little.

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izstranger -1 points 3 years ago

@sugar_in_your_tea @pezmaker

Same, and they usually don't want me to do anything to the bed. Trash on the way out and didn't be a pig.

There was a very out in the open camera in the living room of an Airbnb that I stayed in once and I really didn't care for it and hadn't noticed it in the listing. But, it was a basement suite of a family's own house and I guess they were just concerned. I started looking for that more specifically but glad to hear Airbnb banned them completely.

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sugar_in_your_tea 1 point 3 years ago

Yeah, I think I've only seen a camera inside once or twice, and only in the living room/dining room. Hotels do the same in common areas like hallways and dining areas. It's still not great, but it's at least understandable.

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Psythik 12 points 3 years ago

Never used an AirBnB and never plan to. The whole "you have to clean up after yourself" part is a major turnoff for me. I go on vacation to relax, not clean. I rather pay a little bit extra for housekeeping.

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Patches 14 points 3 years ago

You pay extra at AirBnB to clean up yourself regardless. They all charge a cleaning fee of $100-200. Plus "Fees" if you don't do all of the cleaning yourself. It's total nonsense. The price is more hidden than a damn phone bill.

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zalgotext -4 points 3 years ago

The whole "you have to clean up after yourself" part is a major turnoff for me.

I mean, yeah you're expected to be respectful of the space you're using. If you make a mess, you're expected to clean it up or pay an extra cleaning fee. There's a really easy way around that though - don't make a mess. Seems reasonable to me.

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ChexMax 9 points 3 years ago

Right, but hotels don't expect you to take out the trash, wash the towels/bedding, or wash the water cups/ice bucket. Even if you don't make a mess you still often have to do those things on top of the cleaning fee you're paying.

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zalgotext 2 points 3 years ago

Every Airbnb I've ever stayed in doesn't make me do any of that. Obviously if the trash gets full, I'd take it out, but it's never been a requirement. The furthest I've ever had to go with bedding/towels is to remove them from the beds and pile them up on the floor. Similar with dishes, I've only ever had to put them in the dishwasher, never wash them myself.

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some_guy 2 points 3 years ago

Not making a mess is fine. However, I don't make my bed at home. I don't want to do it when I travel. Messy bedsheets don't bother me. I don't want more responsibility when I travel than I have at home.

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zalgotext 2 points 3 years ago

No Airbnb I've ever stayed in has mandated that the beds be made.

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gaael 10 points 3 years ago

I guess it depends on the area. In France, airbnbs are usually cheaper than hotels (especially if you're 2 or more). Plus having a kitchen means saving quite a lot on food compared to having to eat at restaurants or takeouts.

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delirious_owl 1 point 3 years ago

No fucking way when you rent for a month

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authed 7 points 3 years ago

there are there are extended stay hotels with kitchens that can be pretty affordable in some areas

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ako946659663 44 points 3 years ago

Wasn't there a lawyer lady on reddit that sued Airbnb because she rented a studio unit that had indoor cameras? I following her posts until reddit decided to kill Infinity.

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PetulantBandicoot 25 points 3 years ago

RIP Infinity, the only thing that made reddit tolerable on mobile.

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sugar_in_your_tea 7 points 3 years ago

I left Reddit when they announced their API change because their mobile app and mobile web experience suck, and i wasn't confident in them keeping old Reddit around (I hate the new web UI).

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it_a_me 7 points 3 years ago

You can still compile infinity from source with your own api key

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LavaPlanet 14 points 3 years ago

Yeah! She didn't get very far with it. They kept running her around in circles. If we're talking about the same one.... I mean that's probably gotta happen a lot, really.

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JCreazy 30 points 3 years ago

I never used an Airbnb fortunately because I rarely travel, but when I do travel I just find a fairly cheap hotel to stay.

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MadBob 7 points 3 years ago

I've used one once by accident (booked through a different website) and it was just someone's spare room, which I found pleasant. Then they charged me for a beer that evening and breakfast the following morning, which I found bizarre. I mean it makes sense but it felt odd.

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Patches 10 points 3 years ago

Like did you drink a beer, and eat breakfast?

Was it like "Hey do you want a beer?" Or like... How does that even work? I've never interacted with any of the Hosts at an AirBnB - they never seem to be home, and they clearly go out of the way to avoid me.

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MadBob 2 points 3 years ago

They sent me a menu when they confirmed the booking and asked me if I wanted anything when I was there. They'd bought in soy milk I think it was because I'd asked if they had a vegan option, which was nice enough of them. I suppose these must've been the exception rather than the rule then.

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sugar_in_your_tea 5 points 3 years ago

They're great for group gatherings, not so much for individuals traveling. So when my family gets together (there's 20+ of us), Airbnb is way better (cheaper, large private gathering space, etc). If it's just us (wife and kids), and hotel room is plenty.

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flumph 2 points 3 years ago

Thanks for your comment. I usually travel alone and was like "why would anyone subject themselves to AirBNB." I appreciate the context and perspective.

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Potatos_are_not_friends 2 points 3 years ago

It used to be a good thing, all the way up until like 2015.

Back then, hotels were kinda of shit. And the person running your Airbnb was some retirees who had an extra room. So getting a comfy bed for like 1/2 price as a hotel, along with some other perks like money back in the community, or a nice home cook feel, was nice.

Now, airbnbs are run by real estate companies. And many even have bs like "vacuum the house and put the dirty bedding in the wash". And hotels have gotten significantly better. Many hotels are adding mini kitchens. Others cleaned up.

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someguy3 14 points 3 years ago

Good. These were common areas so personally I don't see too much of an issue, but the harder and more unsavory it is perceived to run Airbnbs the more our housing market can return to normal.

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delirious_owl 22 points 3 years ago

Idk about you, but I want to fuck in the common areas without being recorded.

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autotldr 7 points 3 years ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Airbnb is prohibiting the use of indoor security cameras in its listings globally, the vacation homestay rental company announced on Monday.

While the majority of its listings — more than 7 million worldwide at the end of last year — don't report having indoor security cameras, Airbnb said the policy change was made in an effort to prioritize the privacy of guests.

Previously, the company allowed indoor security cameras in common areas, as long as they were disclosed on the listing page before booking and clearly visible to guests.

"The update to this policy simplifies our approach and makes clear that security cameras are not allowed inside listings, regardless of their location, purpose or prior disclosure," read the statement.

The revised policy — which takes effect on April 30 — also includes more thorough rules on the use of outdoor security cameras and other devices such as noise decibel monitors, which are required to be disclosed before guests book.

In a 2022 interview with NPR, Thorin Klosowski — who at the time was privacy and security editor at Wirecutter — also recommends unplugging "anything that looks kind of fishy, whether that's an alarm clock or just a USB plug that seems random in the wall."

The original article contains 446 words, the summary contains 205 words. Saved 54%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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iturnedintoanewt 6 points 3 years ago

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Jolteon 18 points 3 years ago

The problem is that there's a very valid reason to have those that has nothing to do with the tenants. There's no way in the world I'd have an outdoor pool without a security camera for liability reasons alone, let alone trespassers.

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aphonefriend 9 points 3 years ago

Airbnb is prohibiting the use of indoor security cameras in its listings globally...

Literally in the first line of the article.

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delirious_owl 8 points 3 years ago

Yeah I should be able to swim naked in the pool without being recorded

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fine_sandy_bottom 0 points 3 years ago

I assume these are fine.

In areas prone to guests having parties, hosts need to be able to count how many guests and visitors were present.

It's a legal / liability issue.

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iturnedintoanewt 1 point 3 years ago

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privacy

@lemmy.ml

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

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Don't promote proprietary software
Try to keep things on topic
If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
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privacy

@lemmy.ml

login for more options

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
Don't promote proprietary software
Try to keep things on topic
If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
Be nice :)

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

go to feed...