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The rise of Airbnb in the past decade has redefined the concept of booking short stays and disrupted the industry. In just a few clicks, you can find a unique place to lay your head instead of the usual hotels in town. Anyone can put their place on the market for a few nights and welcome visitors in. Or, they can let them enjoy the place to themselves for more intimacy.
But the fact that anyone can run an Airbnb is an issue.You’re essentially going into a stranger’s home for a couple of nights, and they might have some ideas on how to keep an eye on your activities there.
In fact, some visitors have unearthed cameras hidden in their vacation property and found their stay isn’t so private after all. Sometimes the size of a button, these cameras are difficult to detect. Luckily, a recent TikTok shows how you can find them. Highlighting just how easy it is to hide these cameras in everyday objects, you might think twice about the next rental you visit.
In a survey of recent Airbnb guests, over 58% said they were worried about secret cameras being in the property. Surprisingly, 11% said they had actually found one during their stay. Whether or not there were more undetected, we’ll never know.
Airbnb’s terms of service clearly state that hidden cameras are prohibited in properties being let on their service. Although they allow visible security cameras where necessary, they must be disclosed to guests before booking. Any guests found to be breaking these rules are subject to being kicked from the platform.
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In the US, hidden cameras in your home are generally legal and don’t have to be declared to others (unless you’re hosting guests on Airbnb, of course). It’s reasonable to use cameras inside and outside of your property to monitor its safety. For example, a nanny cam might be placed somewhere inconspicuous to watch whoever is looking after your children whilst you’re away.
However, it’s illegal to record others without their consent where there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy in your home. Places that would fall under this definition include the bedroom or bathroom, or anywhere that someone may be undressed.
The reasons for recording in private areas are generally centered around voyeurism but it can extend to selling the videos or using them for blackmail. The online market for voyeuristic videos has exploded in the last decade or so due to the technological developments in digital cameras and access to the internet also.
And one country that’s been most affected by this is South Korea. Famous for its “connected-ness” and high-tech gadgetry, the country is facing an epidemic of hidden cameras and the sexualized videos from them. As p*rnography is illegal there, making voyeuristic videos (known as molka) has become an alternative.
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This trend and industry have pushed for cameras to grow smaller and smaller, to the point of being almost undetectable. Some even have wireless connections onboard allowing video to be streamed online in shockingly real-time.
It’s gone so far in South Korea that illegal hidden cameras have turned up in public places such as subways, buses, taxis, and even supermarkets. These are most often for capturing ‘upskirts’ of unaware women whilst going about their daily business. Public restrooms, hotels, and pool or gym changing-rooms are also targeted often, despite establishments trying to crack down on the act.
In 2019, it was reported by The Korea Herald that police had arrested four people involved with live-streaming and selling illegally obtained videos from multiple hotels in the country. Over 1600 guests were estimated to have had their private moments shared online without their consent. It sparked outrage across the country for the government’s lack of action against the harmful issue.
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A report on digital sex crimes in South Korea states that 585 people were prosecuted in 2008 for the use of illegal spy cameras. Just under a decade later, the number of prosecutions for this crime rose by over eleven times, with 6,615 people being charged in 2017. This represented approximately one-fifth of all sex-related crimes in the country at the time.
The numbers from the report also show how women were most affected by the issue. In 2016, 80% of the people targeted by hidden spy cameras were women. Conversely, almost all of those responsible for the crime were men, accounting for 98% of all perpetrators.
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