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UI was not going to share this with anyone but I need some advice.
We booked an Airbnb. Listing was for a shared room but host said I could use the entire property during my booking. Host gave us a walkthrough of the entire property explaining every small detail, but did not mention anything about indoor CCTV cameras inside the living room and kitchen.
I was fast asleep in the bedroom so my sister went to the living room to change to not wake me up. She was shocked to see the CCTV camera after she finished changing. I immediately messaged the host telling him that he did not mention anything about the CCTV camera to us. His first reaction was it’s mentioned in the listing that common areas have a CCTV camera. I checked the listing and after going through it 3-4 times, I was finally able to find that the “Exterior security cameras on property” had mentioned that there are cameras in the living room and kitchen (what a contradiction?) I tried to call him but he did not answer saying he is in a meeting. When he finally answered, he focused more on defending himself and asked me what would I like to do? Do I want to checkout etc. I had to tell him the obvious thing to do which is to delete the recordings immediately. He said the recordings are locally stored on a memory card in the camera. He said he would come down to format it. (All this sounds super shady. Not emphasizing about the cameras in the listing, not informing about the cameras during the walkthrough, and then acting so careless when the cameras were discovered).
Meanwhile, I went to the police station and explained the situation. The owner called me and I asked him to come to the police station. He came there and the cops told him he cannot have cameras inside the house and that he should mention more clearly about these cameras etc. They sent someone from the cybercrime branch with us to the house again and this guy from the cybercrime asked the owner to show him the recordings but the owner had formatted the card without even taking consent. (I am not complaining as I don’t want a random cop to see my sister change). My sister and I had paid 30k for an event which we were getting late for. Seeing that the cameras and the memory cards have been confiscated by the cops, we left for our event. The cops assured us that this is local camera with no cloud backup and that the recordings have been deleted. They also told us that we should fearlessly stay in the Airbnb if we want to rather than finding another accommodation and they will patrol the area regularly today. They shared their numbers with us as well to call them. We decided to stay at the Airbnb as we had quite a busy schedule ahead of us the next day as well.
Fast forward to today, we are back home. And now Airbnb from Toronto keeps calling me saying that the host is upset that despite mentioning that the property has indoor cameras and hosting us, the cops are calling him to the police station for investigation. They tried to push me to say that I don’t have any grievances so that they can tell the cops the same. They also told me that the cops are asking for my id to the host and can we share the same, which I denied straight off. Meanwhile, the host messaged me saying that if I am convinced that the videos are deleted, I should email the cops and tell them that. I messaged him back saying that I will speak to the cops and do what they tell me to do. I called the cybercrime guy and he told me not to send any such email as yet. So I didn’t send this email. Both Aribnb and the host are trying to make me close this grievance.
Since the cops have already assured me that the content has been deleted, I don’t see a reason to keep this complaint open; however, the cops haven’t really called me to ask me if I want to keep the complaint open or close it. Probably because I am back to my hometown where their jurisdiction does not apply?
Since the host is a lawyer, he is playing his cards right for sure. I on the other hand am not sure how to proceed from here. Airbnb seems to be supporting the host and pushing me to close the grievance. One mistake I made was that I texted the host saying that I don’t have any grievance if the cops confirm that the recordings are 100% deleted. This was because I was getting frustrated with the constant calls. I realize now he can use that message to tell the cops and no more investigation?
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MTell the cops to continue the investigation as the owner did not mention before checking in, there are cameras in the living room and not sure 100 % that it is been deleted . Since the owner is investigated by the police he needs your help to come to his rescue. How sure are you that the recordings are deleted. Let the investigation continue and the owner faces his share of justice for not informing the customers about the cameras.
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MAre the men here seriously blaming the women despite the police actually doing a good job AND explaining the reasoning? Jeez we’ll just about bend over backwards to blame the victim.
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UExactly! I am so surprised to see most of the comments calling my sister dumb, asking her to change in the bathroom, stating that I am delusional, blowing things out of proportion etc. All these men must be tied up naked and recorded and their videos released on porn websites for them to understand how traumatic it can be for a women to be recorded in a place she was supposed to feel safe.
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MUgh they’d probably think they’re famous if people start watching them 😒 their worst enemy is that someone would treat them the way they treat women. That’s why they’re so afraid of anyone who is gay or transgender.
But whatever — your sister was in the right! And I’m so proud of you for standing up for yourself and being so courageous to get the police involved. Great job! And kudos to the police too for actually doing something about this.
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UYou are right! I don’t think these men would care much about being exposed, unless they experience what it means to be violated in the true sense!
Thank you for acknowledging the actions! My sister and I are twins and share a very strong bond. It was a no brainer for me to take action, and I would have done this for any other woman! That said, the day of the incident and the next 2-3 days were quite confusing for us. We were doubting ourselves and wondering if we were wrong, and if the host had done nothing wrong! And the replies on this thread added to the confusion. It’s only yesterday that our emotions settled down and we realized that what had happened was not right.
I am disappointed in my fellow men for making me doubt what I had done!
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UNot a lawyer. Please go through this policy. According to AirBnB policy, you cannot have an indoor camera and there are certain rules for outdoor cameras.
https://news.airbnb.com/an-update-on-our-policy-on-security-cameras/-
UThank you for this. I am going to contact Airbnb for this. I couldn’t find consistent info on Airbnb policy when I searched. Infact, Airbnb called me and tried to bully me saying the camera is mentioned in the listing. I have a recording of that call. I am going to pursue this with Airbnb! Thank you so much!
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EWhy the drama? The sister probably had her underwear on. It’s no different than going to the beach. If you hadn’t brought it to the owner’s attention, he would have never known that there was anything interesting to watch and at what time and on which day. I am sure he doesn’t sit for hours looking through the footage from each camera daily for the past 24 hours. In any case, these cameras overwrite the data automatically every few days. So it would have been better to not draw attention to it and no one would have seen it.
The host has clearly stated that there are cameras in the drawing room and the video was deleted and this was confirmed by the police. I don’t see why you keep calling him sleazy. The camera was visible and wasn’t the bedroom or the bathroom.-
U>Why the drama? The sister probably had her underwear on. It’s no different than going to the beach
Perv spotted. You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s a difference between wearing a bikini on a beach and changing in front of a camera. Are you really that immature to understand the difference?
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The host has clearly stated that there are cameras in the drawing room and the video was deleted and this was confirmed by the police. I don’t see why you keep calling him sleazy. The camera was visible and wasn’t the bedroom or the bathroom.I believe the host is not innocent. We see malice here and want the cops to investigate this as my sister may not be the only victim of this sleaziness. As per [Airbnb policy](https://news.airbnb.com/an-update-on-our-policy-on-security-cameras/), indoor cameras are not allowed even if the host has disclosed this. The host is a lawyer and surely knows how to adhere to policies. The only section where you can disclose cameras on Airbnb is under the “Exterior security cameras on property” section, and the host listed indoor cameras here. Lawyers are supposed to focus on the fine print, aren’t they? Additionally, the host walked me through the entire property explaining how to turn on the AC, geyzer, how to open certain doors, etc but forgot to mention about cameras. How convenient.
No one expects indoor cameras in places that are rented out to guests, so no one goes checking for thes. So the investigation needs to continue. I am not going to do anything to interfere with what the investigation.
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UA different perspective here but in India, everyone by default believes that cops are corrupt and might be extorting the lawyer but honestly, they are actually the good guys in this scenario.
Even if everyone is right about bad cops, let’s be honest, host was at fault to not mention about the indoor cameras and later on attempt to dodge the accountability- so bad things happening to a criminal – doesn’t sound that diabolical to me.
To add to it, in the worst case scenario, if you shoot email to close the case and data somehow gets recovered by the host who ends up hosting that data on some websites – you would be questioned about your intervention in investigation and moreover, ofcourse, you would be in a soup.Best thing to do – Do what cops tell you.
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HEx-LEA.
Few things,
Formatting does not delete data on the SD card. Always retrievable.
You complained. The police intervened. The police can take an undertaking from the Host about formatting the SD card and that the said video is not available on any other media/ cloud. You can get a copy. The police can also ask the Host or you to destroy the SD card (physically) and mention it in the undertaking signed by Host.
About not letting the Host get away, an FIR can never happen as there is no cognizable offence as there is no intention on the part of the Host to record private videos but the purpose is plain surveillance for safety of his property.
Police may keep squeezing the Lawyer but once he approaches a senior officer, the matter will be closed for sure.
The lawyer also knows better to proceed legally since enquiry into a complaint has its limitations as compared to investigation into an FIR.
If you expect a compensation or policy improvement, it would be better to take it up with AirBNB if they do not have a clear policy on the installation of cameras inside properties in common areas. If they do, the living room or the TV room is very much a common area similar to a lobby or to an entrance or a common balcony.
After the Incident and comments that I have read, I just have one question.
What does the OP want?
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LBro
Everything can be restored from.
Deleted and formatted hard drive, usb, pen drives, SSD, etc
Do not share that you know this info (that recovery is possible) with anyone including police or lawyer.Destruction like say burning or shredding of the storage device is the way.
And don’t give any solace to the lawyer, to go to the police and court is easy for him.
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UIf he can format the cards without you knowing than he can also copy the data and then format the cards so he can have the data as well as show that the cards are formatted. Id you have cameras inside the house than this should be the most important and highlighted thing to tell the client. This is beyond shady and you need to push this.
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UIn simple terms, “interior” refers to the inside of something, like the inside of a room, house or building, while “exterior” refers to the outside of something.
You’re just DUMB, the hall is Exterior to your rented space, as your rented space per the agreement is limited to the room you paid for.
Just because the other rooms are unoccupied and you have solo use of the common area exterior to your room (what youve paid for), doesnt mean a policy has been broken.
Learn to read, and not obfuscate meanings of words
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U>You’re just DUMB, the hall is Exterior to your rented space, as your rented space per the agreement is limited to the room you paid for.
Ok Mr. Smartass. As per this [Airbnb Policy](https://news.airbnb.com/an-update-on-our-policy-on-security-cameras/), indoor cameras are not allowed, regardless of their disclosure. Read this :
>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
And you’re asking me to learn to read? The host is a lawyer. Airbnb policy does not allow indoor cameras as mentioned above. That is why they have only provided a section to disclose exterior cameras. See [this](https://imgur.com/a/PfXWNnP).
Feeling smart now? It’s because of people like you that our country is not safe. You’ll blame your wife/sister/mother and make her feel like she’s creating a scene for no reason, rather than supporting her because apparently that’s the smart thing to do?
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UIn a guesthouse setup, where individual rooms are rented, and common areas like hallways function similarly to hotel lobbies – Airbnb allows hotels to have security cameras in shared spaces, and since this is a similar setup, the owner has installed them for security. The cameras are only in common areas and fully disclosed, ensuring transparency while maintaining guest safety.
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UI think you have a serious problem of trying to prove your point despite the facts going against you. Did you even read the Aribnb policy I linked to?
For your information, Airbnb called me and agreed that this is a violation of privacy. They have transferred this case to their “safety” team because of violation of terms and conditions.
Airbnb agrees that this is a violation of their policies, but you want to defend them and blame the victim. What I have realized from your comments on other posts on reddit is that you like to draw power from other people’s suffering. You feel powerful by making other’s feel stupid. You need to introspect and hope you get well soon.
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UKarma comes back full circle.
The owner is probably being targeted by police for money . He might loose his Airbnb listing.
Put yourself in his shoes.The camera was probably meant to show anything damaged etc from tenants.
tenants sometimes break stuff and complain etc.
Go easy on the owner and you will get good karma from letting go.If you wanted to resolve this ..you would .
Enough has been done and at this point sound like you are just trying to stretch matter .-
U>If you wanted to resolve this ..you would . Enough has been done and at this point sound like you are just trying to stretch matter .
You’re probably thinking that I am constantly calling the cops and Airbnb to harass the host? But that’s not the case. I complained to the cops and Airbnb because this was clearly a violation of privacy and my sister changed in front of the camera. I’ve done nothing more after that. Who are you and I to decide whether the host is innocent or guilty. Can you guarantee that the host has not used these recordings from all the past guests for his personal pleasure? If you can’t guarantee this, then let the cops do their work and quit preaching.
>Karma comes back full circle.
You’re saying that by taking action against someone who compromised the dignity of a woman who happens to be my sister, I have created bad Karma and it’s going to come back to me? That’s absurd. I don’t even know how to respond to that.
>He also allowed you to use the full space.
So I should overlook the fact that he had cameras inside the house and did not think of making it clear because he let me use the full space? Even if guests were just allowed to use the bedroom, it is still important for him to make it explicitly clear that there are cameras in the house. Many people are not comfortable being recorded. I explained in my post that he walked me through the entire apartment explaining every detail, but did not mention anything about the cameras. Do you expect me to believe that being a lawyer, he does not know about this [Airbnb Policy](https://news.airbnb.com/an-update-on-our-policy-on-security-cameras/) and does not understand what [Exterior security cameras](https://imgur.com/a/PfXWNnP) section on Airbnb means? Just because he allowed me to use the full space, I should be okay with my sister changing in front of these cameras?
>Go easy on the owner and you will get good karma from letting go.
I have already let go after I complained to the cops and Airbnb, which was the right thing to do. Now it’s upto them what action needs to be taken. If they contact me, I will tell them the facts and the truth.
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UI understand that this situation is deeply upsetting, and I appreciate you taking the time to clarify your perspective.
Privacy violations, especially in a space meant to be safe and comfortable, are serious concerns. Reporting the matter to both Airbnb and law enforcement was the right step, and now it’s up to them to investigate and take appropriate action.
But if you can help the owner get this resolved it would mean a huge amount of time and effort saved .Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but no one should downplay how unsettling this experience must have been for you and your sister. Regardless of any arguments about intent or policies, transparency about security cameras in a private space is essential. I respect that you’ve handled the situation as you saw fit and that you are now letting the authorities do their job.
At the end of the day, fairness and accountability should be the priority, and I hope that whatever outcome follows brings clarity and respect
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