Airbnb tenants regularly discover the presence of spy cameras in their vacation accommodation. A practice normally prohibited by Airbnb's terms and conditions except when this is expressly communicated to the tenant. Fortunately, there are tips to detect the presence of such cameras, with your Android smartphone.
Worried that your Airbnb vacation rental might be riddled with video cameras? Fortunately, there are solutions to detect them in some cases with the naked eye, or with your best Swiss Army knife: your smartphone.
Summary
- CCTV cameras in Airbnb homes: what the platform says
- What does a spy camera look like?
- How to locate a CCTV camera on the local network with your smartphone
- How to spot a CCTV camera with the smartphone camera
- What to do if you have discovered a spy camera?
- Comments
CCTV cameras in Airbnb homes: what the platform says
The Airbnb platform is crystal clear on this point: “our values and expectations require that all members of the Airbnb community respect each other's privacy. More specifically, we require guests to report the presence of surveillance devices in their accommodation or placed so that they can observe indoors, and we prohibit any surveillance system in certain private spaces (such as bedrooms or bathrooms). bath), whether or not their presence is reported ”, can be read in Airbnb's conditions.
Therefore, guests must indicate the presence of video surveillance cameras in their internal regulations, and declare to the rental companies if a recording is in progress. In the event of a breach, “Airbnb will authorize the traveler to cancel the reservation and receive a refund. Host cancellation penalties may apply ”. It often happens when a spy CCTV camera is discovered that the host is banned from the Airbnb community.
Hosts are also subject to legal action, at the discretion of the victims and depending on the case. In short, we might as well underline it: the fact of putting surveillance cameras in an Airbnb apartment without notifying the tenants is a very bad idea. The fact remains, alas, that these devices too often go unnoticed.
Read also: He spies on 150 young women via their webcam and receives 18 months in prison
What does a spy camera look like?
From a visual point of view, a spy camera can by definition look like anything and everything. There are, however, a few suspects to examine as soon as you arrive: in particular smoke detectors, motion detectors in alarm systems, clock radios, soft toys, clocks, USB hubs or even wireless chargers ...
So that any spy camera can record their video, it is necessary that, by a more or less discreet process, a lens is flush. But in some cases it can also be hidden behind a two-way window, or dark plastic. When connected to the local network, a spy camera can be betrayed by its brand (Nest, Arlo, Wyze ...), its Mac address (which allows certain applications to detect them as such), or the services it uses, in particular RTSP or RTMP, which betray video streaming.
Unfortunately not all spy cameras are connected to the local network - some can, for example, store recordings via a memory card. But, even so, they often have infrared diodes, to both detect movement, and allow the camera to see in the dark. In this case, the light from these diodes, invisible to the naked eye, can be detected using the photo sensor on your smartphone.
How to locate a CCTV camera on the local network with your smartphone
For it :
- Switch off and / or disconnect from the network all equipment that belongs to you, except your smartphone
- Download the app Fing available on the Play Store and the App Store
- Run a scan of your local network - wait for it to complete before continuing
- In the list, make an inventory of the equipment of the accommodation that connects to the internet (TV, speakers, etc.), and try to match them with the entries in the list
- In the remaining IP addresses, look for anything that can be questionable - sometimes Fing will label CCTV cameras IP Camera, or something, but not always
- Once you have reduced the number of questionable IPs, click on each one and then choose Find open ports in the next screen
- Go to your favorite internet browser, and try entering [IP address]: [port] where the port is one of the open ports detected by the application (ex: 192.168.1.11:8080)
If it is indeed an IP camera, you will either be greeted with a prompt asking for a password (feel free to test the default passwords which are not always changed). Or just a page showing you what the camera sees. Enough to allow you to spot it easily.
How to spot a CCTV camera with the smartphone camera
We told you, the infrared diodes used by many video surveillance devices can help you easily find these devices:
- Turn off the light in the accommodation, close the shutters and turn off the light
- Open your smartphone camera
- Point it in all directions looking for a bright spot (usually bright purple)
- As soon as you find such a bright point, go to the source of that light and examine its origin.
What to do if you have discovered a spy camera?
As a first step, it is recommended to leave the accommodation, and immediately get in touch with Airbnb customer service. Here are some of their phone numbers:
- +33 184884000 (Your country)
- +1-415-800-5959 / +1-855-424-7262 (Etats-Unis)
- +34 91 123 45 67 (Spain)
- +45 89 88 20 00 (Denmark)
- +1-855-424-7262 (Cuba)
For other numbers, you can go to the following address: https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact_us. Depending on the case and the local laws on the matter, it may also be advisable to contact the nearest police station.
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Have you ever discovered a spy camera in an Airbnb home? Do you know any other tips for detecting this kind of spy camera? Share your feedback in the comments.
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