A phenomenon far from being isolated
The Pauline affair echoes a series of similar cases in Europe in recent years. In July 2023, two tourists found a camera hidden in an alarm clock, directed towards the shower of their Airbnb in Annecy. A year earlier, in Rouen, a tenant discovers two hidden cameras, including one pointed towards the bed. In Athens, in 2019, an Irish family has no less than eight surveillance devices in a luxury villa: rooms, jacuzzi, bathroom … all filmed.
A young woman discovers a hidden camera in the shower of her airbnb (video)
The United Kingdom is not spared. In Glasgow, a doctor was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for hiding cameras in his airbnb housing, hidden in smoke detectors or deodorants. Another emblematic British case led a man to over six years in prison after filming tenants for almost fifteen years.
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Faced with the multiplication of these cases, Airbnb ended up reacting. In April 2024, the platform prohibited any interior camera, even in the common areas, to restore the confidence of its users.
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How to spot a hidden camera?
Even if these cases remain rare on the scale of millions of rentals made each year, a few simple gestures allow us to protect themselves:
- Observe the objects oriented towards the bed or the shower carefully. Alarm clocks, smoke detectors, multiple women, frames and even pens are the objects most often used by malicious people … Also, malicious objects are “too” well placed. We also think of unusual holes in walls or catches.
- Scan the part with the camera of your smartphone in the dark to locate an infrared light.
- Analyzing devices connected to local Wi-Fi via applications like Fing or Who’s On My Wi-Fi. A suspicious or unknown name (eg “ipcam_2364”, “nestcamera”) can betray a hidden device.
- Listen to buzzing or touch suspect objects (abnormal heat can betray an active camera).
- Use a laser light or RF detection camera detector, available online from € 30.
If in doubt, it is crucial to document the facts (photos, videos), immediately leave the premises and alert the reservation platform as well as the police. In summary, vigilance is required, wherever you are traveling.
