Family discovers hidden camera on Airbnb when searching WiFi network

Andrew Barker's family, a New Zealand IT security professional, had an unpleasant surprise upon arriving at a rented home on Airbnb, Ireland: the site had a hidden camera operating. The gadget was found after a search for WiFi networks, and using apps, Barker found the address where you could see what was recorded.

What happened?

After receiving the complaint from the family, Airbnb treated the issue as a cancellation, stating that the amount of the stay would not be refunded. Already the owner of the house, when confronted, hung up the phone; A few minutes later, he returned to report that the camera in the room was the only camera in the house. As this did not leave the family quiet enough, they decided to stay in a hotel.

In a subsequent attempt to contact, Airbnb maintained a posture of not addressing the issue too much, informing 2 weeks after the owner had been "dismissed" of the problem and had the house available in the app again. When the family published the case on Facebook, catching the attention of New Zealand newspapers, Airbnb finally banned the owner for good and apologized.

In a statement, Airbnb reported that the way the local office handled the matter was well below expectations; In addition, the family stay was reimbursed and a new apology was made. The company also comments that it has more than half a billion stays booked since its launch and negative incidents like this are rare.

Aoife Mullen, communications manager for the Data Protection Commission of Ireland, told CNN that authorities are aware of the case and working to get more information on the matter from Airbnb.

Family discovers hidden camera on Airbnb when searching WiFi network via TecMundo