Tech & IT

Airbnb’s Hidden Camera Problem Exposed

A recent CNN article about a disturbing pattern has emerged in Airbnb rentals: guests are being secretly recorded by hidden cameras. Despite numerous cases and thousands of complaints, Airbnb has consistently failed to notify law enforcement and protect its guests, allowing hosts to violate privacy without consequence. This report delves into Airbnb’s lack of accountability and the persistent threat of hidden cameras.

Another victim’s fun-filled vacation turned into a nightmare when she was secretly recorded undressing at a rental property. Her images were stored on the computer of an alleged predator accused of spying on unsuspecting renters for years.

Airbnb, one of the world’s largest short-term rental companies, has faced this scenario before. Typically, the company seeks to settle hidden camera cases quickly and confidentially. But this time, things played out differently.

An Airbnb representative, testifying at a court-ordered deposition early last year, offered a rare glimpse into the company’s hidden camera problem. Airbnb has generated tens of thousands of customer support tickets related to surveillance devices in the last decade.

During the hours-long deposition, the Airbnb employee revealed that when a guest complains of a hidden camera, the company doesn’t notify law enforcement, even if a child is involved. Instead, they may reach out to hosts about complaints, which law enforcement experts say can hinder criminal investigations by giving suspects time to destroy evidence.

A CNN investigation found that Airbnb consistently fails to protect its guests, despite knowing hidden cameras are a persistent concern within its industry. Airbnb’s corporate strategies aim to prevent regulation of the short-term rental market, allowing the company to distance itself from responsibility for guest safety and privacy.

Thousands of images have been recovered from short-term rental hosts by law enforcement. Hidden cameras placed in bedrooms and bathrooms capture guests during their most private moments – changing clothes, being with their children, even having sex, according to court and police records and interviews with nearly two dozen guests who found surveillance devices at rental properties or were informed by police they had been secretly recorded.

Victims live under a shadow of fear that their private moments will become internet fodder. “This is not my Social Security number or my email address. This is my naked body,” said one woman whose host secretly recorded her having sex with her husband at a cottage in Texas.

Airbnb declined CNN’s request for an interview but stated in a written statement that hidden camera complaints are rare. When they do occur, “we take appropriate, swift action, which can include removing hosts and listings that violate the policy.” The spokesperson added that “Airbnb’s trust and safety policies lead the vacation rental industry and include background checks on US-based hosts and guests.”

However, some policies touted by Airbnb come with significant disclaimers. The company’s website advises users not to rely on its background checks to identify “all past criminal convictions or sex offender registrations … or other red flags.” Even convictions of “murder, terrorism, rape or child molestation” are not automatic disqualifiers under Airbnb’s policy.

Airbnb’s origins trace back to 2007 when co-founders Brian Chesky and his roommate, struggling to make rent in San Francisco, opened their home to travelers. Thirteen years later, the company went public with a valuation of $47 billion. Today, Airbnb is valued higher than Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Marriott International combined. Unlike hotels, Airbnb doesn’t control the properties it advertises or employ on-site staff like security guards or receptionists. It leaves hosts with the costs of maintaining and protecting short-term rentals.

While hotels can be held legally responsible for guests harmed on their property, Airbnb often is not. The company has fought against such liability in court, arguing it has little control over what happens at its listings despite collecting roughly 17% of each booking.

The short-term rental industry often highlights how home sharing improves human connection and offers intimate, private spaces for travelers. Yet, violent crime, prostitution, and traveler deaths have repeatedly forced Airbnb and its competitors into the international spotlight.

One unchecked security concern is hidden cameras. Airbnb has known about this problem for at least a decade and has repeatedly notified its shareholders of the issue in annual reports since going public.

Despite these concerns, Airbnb has allowed video surveillance by hosts in common areas, provided the cameras are disclosed to guests. However, guests like Chloe LeBrument, who found a hidden camera in a charger in her rental’s bedroom, feel betrayed and violated. LeBrument’s host has been criminally charged with voyeurism.

In January, CNN began reaching out to former Airbnb employees about hidden camera concerns. In early March, Saturday Night Live mocked the issue in a skit. Just over a week later, Airbnb announced it would ban all indoor cameras as of April 30 but did not detail how it would enforce this rule.

“You can have all these great rules, but if no one’s checking that the rules are being followed … it’s still kind of the Wild West,” said attorney Bianca Zuniga-Goldwater, who represents several hidden camera victims in suits against Airbnb and Vrbo.

Despite the company’s efforts to contain complaints, the fear of hidden cameras remains a significant issue for guests. As Airbnb continues to grow, addressing and enforcing strict privacy protections will be crucial to ensuring the safety and trust of its users.

Source: CNN

Events

Love & Sex With Robots Conference 2025

The 10th annual Love & Sex With Robots conference is scheduled for August 15-17, 2025, at the Université du Québec in Montreal. Founded by David Levy, author of Love & Sex With Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships, this event brings together scientists, academics, and sextech professionals, as well as passionate enthusiasts known as ‘iDollators,’ who are intrigued by the future of human relationships with robots and love dolls.

The conference will feature lectures, panel discussions, and workshops, with both in-person and online options to ensure accessibility. Organizers are currently accepting abstract submissions, with a deadline of March 31, 2025. Suggested topics include robot emotions, teledildonics, roboethics, humanoid robots, and intelligent electronic sex hardware.

This year’s event is sponsored by Kiiroo, a prominent name in the sextech industry. As with previous editions, advancements in AI are expected to take center stage, sparking discussions about their impact on robotics and human-robot interactions. While keynote speakers have yet to be announced, updates are expected soon.

In addition to founder David Levy, the Love & Sex With Robots committee includes notable members such as Simon Dubé, a Kinsey Institute fellow known for his research on sex in space. Other committee members have included Bobbi Bidochka, founder of Imagine Ideation, Emily Jaworski, a graduate of the Institute of Future Studies, and Rebecca Gibson, teaching assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The 2025 conference promises to offer fresh insights into the intersection of technology, intimacy, and human connection, making it a must-attend event for those interested in the future of robotics and sextech.

lovewithrobots.com

Latest News

Britain to Criminalize Explicit Deepfakes: Two-Year Prison Sentences

Britain is set to make creating and sharing sexually explicit “deepfakes” a criminal offense, as part of new measures aimed at curbing the rising abuse of this technology, which primarily targets women and girls, the government announced on Tuesday.

Deepfakes, digitally altered videos, images, or audio clips created using artificial intelligence to appear authentic, have increasingly been misused to manipulate pornographic content into the likeness of unsuspecting individuals.

Although “revenge porn” – the publication of intimate photos or videos without consent to cause distress – was outlawed in 2015, those laws do not cover fabricated imagery like deepfakes. Data from the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline reveals that cases involving deepfake abuse have risen by more than 400% since 2017, highlighting the urgency for updated legislation.

Under the proposed new laws, perpetrators who create or share explicit deepfakes without consent could face prosecution and criminal charges. Further, the government plans to introduce separate offenses for taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment with the intent to commit such acts. Individuals found guilty of these offenses could face up to two years in prison.

“There is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent,” the Ministry of Justice stated.

These measures will form part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, with additional details to be released in the coming months.

A National Response to Image-Based Abuse

Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones condemned the growing issue, stating, “This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalized.”

Campaigners, including Jess Davies, emphasized the devastating impact of deepfake abuse. “Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls. They face a total loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny,” she said.

The proposed legislation follows an earlier attempt by the previous Conservative government to introduce similar laws, which would have imposed fines and potential jail time for offenders. However, those plans were not finalized before the Labour Party took power in July.

Tech Platforms Under Pressure

Technology Minister Margaret Jones highlighted the role of tech companies, warning that platforms hosting abusive content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties under the new laws. The government has already taken steps to address image-based abuse by amending the Online Safety Act in 2024, requiring platforms to remove harmful content or risk enforcement action by regulators such as Ofcom.

A Step Toward Accountability

The upcoming Crime and Policing Bill is expected to bring clarity and stronger protections for victims of intimate-image abuse, marking a significant step toward addressing the misuse of AI-powered technology in Britain. While the exact date for the bill’s introduction to parliament has not been set, these measures reflect a firm commitment to holding offenders accountable and safeguarding vulnerable individuals from online abuse.

Further updates on the bill and its provisions are expected in the near future.

Source: www.gov.uk

Latest News

White House Announces AI Firms’ Pledge Against Image Abuse

The White House announced this week that several leading AI companies have voluntarily committed to tackling the rise of image-based sexual abuse, including the spread of non-consensual intimate images (NCII) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This move is a proactive effort to curb the growing misuse of AI technologies in creating harmful deepfake content.

Companies such as Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Microsoft, and OpenAI have agreed to implement specific measures to ensure their platforms are not used to generate NCII or CSAM. These commitments include responsibly sourcing and managing the datasets used to train AI models, safeguarding them from any content that could lead to image-based sexual abuse.

In addition to securing datasets, the companies have promised to build feedback loops and stress-testing strategies into their development processes. This will help prevent AI models from inadvertently creating or distributing abusive material. Another crucial step is removing nude images from AI training datasets when deemed appropriate, further limiting the potential for misuse.

These commitments, while voluntary, represent a significant step toward combating a growing issue. The announcement, however, lacks participation from major tech players such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta, which were notably absent from today’s statement.

Despite these omissions, many AI and tech companies have already been working independently to prevent the spread of deepfake images and videos. StopNCII, an organization dedicated to stopping the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, has teamed up with several companies to create a comprehensive approach to scrubbing such content. Additionally, some businesses are introducing their own tools to allow victims to report AI-generated sexual abuse on their platforms.

While today’s announcement from the White House doesn’t establish new legal consequences for companies that fail to meet their commitments, it is still an encouraging step. By fostering a cooperative effort, these AI companies are taking a stand against the misuse of their technologies.

For individuals who have been victims of non-consensual image sharing, support is available. Victims can file a case with StopNCII, and for those under 18, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers reporting options.

In this new digital landscape, addressing the ethical concerns surrounding AI’s role in image-based sexual abuse is critical. Although the voluntary nature of these commitments means there is no immediate accountability, the proactive approach by these companies offers hope for stronger protections in the future.

Source: engadget.com