Airbnb Banning Indoor Security Cameras in Listings

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Facts

  • Short-term rental platform Airbnb on Monday announced it is banning the use of indoor security cameras in its listings globally, regardless of their location, purpose, or prior disclosure.1
  • Currently, Airbnb permits security cameras in common areas if their presence is disclosed in the property's listing.2
  • The new rules — which will permit the use of doorbell cameras and noise monitors, if disclosed in the listing — will take effect at the end of April.3
  • In a statement, Airbnb said the new policy 'simplifies' its approach to restricting the use of security cameras.4
  • The company, which began in 2017, also said the new policy isn't expected to affect most of its listings, which includes more than 5M hosts who use the site.5

Sources: 1CNN, 2BBC News, 3Business Insider, 4Sky News and 5CBS.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by TechCrunch. Airbnb is dedicated to listening to its users and providing them with a feeling of security when they rent a property, and also making the rules around privacy and security crystal clear. This will impact a small amount of the listings on the Airbnb site, and, moving forward, the company will continue to adapt in response to user feedback.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Ars Technica. It's about time Airbnb changed its troubling policy regarding indoor cameras. Now its policy is more in line with its direct competitors and other companies in the hospitality business. However, Airbnb has a disappointing track record when it comes to enforcing some of its policies, so this change can't be judged until we see how the platform handles complaints about or violations of the new policy.