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CNN talks about the main danger of short-term rental services.
Airbnb, the market leader in short-term rental housing, was at the center of a scandal. A large-scale CNN investigation revealed a disturbing truth: thousands of guests were victims of illegal covert surveillance in rented housing.
It all started with another lawsuit. A vacationer discovered that she was secretly filmed while on vacation in a rented house. Personal footage ended up in the hands of an alleged criminal who spent years filming unsuspecting guests.
Usually, Airbnb tries to quickly and quietly resolve such incidents. However, this time the situation got out of hand. During the trial, the company's representative testified under oath, opening the veil of secrecy over the scale of the problem.
It turned out that over the past ten years, Airbnb has received about 35,000 similar support calls. The figure is amazing, although the company tries to downplay its significance. Representatives of Airbnb assure: most of the complaints concerned harmless situations, for example, faulty doorbells with cameras.
However, former employees of the company who worked in the security service refute these statements. According to them, hidden cameras were one of the main problems of their department. "I've never received a complaint about doorbells in my entire career," one of them shared.
One of the biggest stories happened in Texas. David Visinaitis and his girlfriend decided to use Airbnb services for the first time in the summer of 2021. Their choice fell on a secluded cottage in the picturesque Texas Hill Country. Many positive reviews and the owner's "superhost" status inspired confidence.
However, the romantic evening turned into a nightmare. Visinaitis found a hidden camera pointed directly at the bed. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life," he recalls. The couple left the house in a panic and contacted the Airbnb support service.
The company's reaction was unexpected. Instead of immediate assistance, the Airbnb representative asked for permission to contact the host to clarify the circumstances. Vizinaitis refused, fearing that the owner might be spying on them in real time and know about their escape.
A police investigation revealed shocking facts. The cottage's owner, E. J. Ellie, secretly recorded his guests for almost a year. More than 2,000 images of more than 30 victims, including several children, were found on his computer. Many of the guests were captured in various stages of undressing, some during intimacy.
Especially troubling is the fact that Ellie was a "superhost" on Airbnb and a "prime host" on Vrbo, another short-term rental platform. These statuses, assigned by special algorithms, bring ads to the top and provide potential for earning money. Many victims admitted that it was the high status of the owner that influenced their choice of housing.
Some guests even left positive reviews, unaware of the hidden camera footage. "Thank you for a wonderful stay at your ranch. We had a great time celebrating the anniversary, " one guest writes on Vrbo.
Lieutenant Butch Matzeka of Kendall County informed Airbnb of the investigation in October 2021. However, almost two months later (five months after the camera was discovered), the suspect's ad was still active on the site.
"If law enforcement agencies notify you of an investigation, you must immediately block the attacker's account until the investigation is completed," Matzeka said.
According to CNN, Airbnb is trying to quickly resolve user complaints out of court. The company sends plaintiffs to arbitration-a process hidden from the public. If a compromise can be reached, victims are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
One of the victims, who received compensation after being secretly filmed being intimate with his wife, said: "We felt humiliated when we signed the confidentiality agreement. We were literally silenced."
Moreover, the service usually does not notify law enforcement agencies about complaints about hidden cameras, even if they are minors. Instead, the security service can contact the hosts as part of internal investigations. According to experts, this approach interferes with the criminal investigation, giving suspects time to destroy evidence.
Despite the fact that the problem of hidden cameras has been known to Airbnb for at least a decade, video surveillance in common areas was allowed, provided that guests were warned. Only in March 2024, after the start of the CNN investigation and a parody sketch on Saturday Night Live, the platform completely banned indoor filming from April 30.
However, according to critics, the company did not even explain how it will enforce the new rules. "You can come up with perfect rules, but if no one is monitoring their implementation... it's like trying to clean up the jungle," said Bianca Zuniga-Goldwater, a lawyer representing several victims in lawsuits against Airbnb and Vrbo.
Airbnb generally actively opposes attempts to regulate the short-term rental market. A legal loophole in the form of section 230 of the Decency in Communications Act helps, which exempts Internet platforms from liability for content posted by users. Similarly, the service claims that it is not responsible for the actions of homeowners. However, this argument does not always work in court.
For victims, the consequences can be very traumatic. Many people live in constant fear that their intimate photos will end up on the Internet. As one of the victims rightly pointed out, "what gets into the digital space stays there forever."
Source
Airbnb, the market leader in short-term rental housing, was at the center of a scandal. A large-scale CNN investigation revealed a disturbing truth: thousands of guests were victims of illegal covert surveillance in rented housing.
It all started with another lawsuit. A vacationer discovered that she was secretly filmed while on vacation in a rented house. Personal footage ended up in the hands of an alleged criminal who spent years filming unsuspecting guests.
Usually, Airbnb tries to quickly and quietly resolve such incidents. However, this time the situation got out of hand. During the trial, the company's representative testified under oath, opening the veil of secrecy over the scale of the problem.
It turned out that over the past ten years, Airbnb has received about 35,000 similar support calls. The figure is amazing, although the company tries to downplay its significance. Representatives of Airbnb assure: most of the complaints concerned harmless situations, for example, faulty doorbells with cameras.
However, former employees of the company who worked in the security service refute these statements. According to them, hidden cameras were one of the main problems of their department. "I've never received a complaint about doorbells in my entire career," one of them shared.
One of the biggest stories happened in Texas. David Visinaitis and his girlfriend decided to use Airbnb services for the first time in the summer of 2021. Their choice fell on a secluded cottage in the picturesque Texas Hill Country. Many positive reviews and the owner's "superhost" status inspired confidence.
However, the romantic evening turned into a nightmare. Visinaitis found a hidden camera pointed directly at the bed. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life," he recalls. The couple left the house in a panic and contacted the Airbnb support service.
The company's reaction was unexpected. Instead of immediate assistance, the Airbnb representative asked for permission to contact the host to clarify the circumstances. Vizinaitis refused, fearing that the owner might be spying on them in real time and know about their escape.
A police investigation revealed shocking facts. The cottage's owner, E. J. Ellie, secretly recorded his guests for almost a year. More than 2,000 images of more than 30 victims, including several children, were found on his computer. Many of the guests were captured in various stages of undressing, some during intimacy.
Especially troubling is the fact that Ellie was a "superhost" on Airbnb and a "prime host" on Vrbo, another short-term rental platform. These statuses, assigned by special algorithms, bring ads to the top and provide potential for earning money. Many victims admitted that it was the high status of the owner that influenced their choice of housing.
Some guests even left positive reviews, unaware of the hidden camera footage. "Thank you for a wonderful stay at your ranch. We had a great time celebrating the anniversary, " one guest writes on Vrbo.
Lieutenant Butch Matzeka of Kendall County informed Airbnb of the investigation in October 2021. However, almost two months later (five months after the camera was discovered), the suspect's ad was still active on the site.
"If law enforcement agencies notify you of an investigation, you must immediately block the attacker's account until the investigation is completed," Matzeka said.
According to CNN, Airbnb is trying to quickly resolve user complaints out of court. The company sends plaintiffs to arbitration-a process hidden from the public. If a compromise can be reached, victims are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
One of the victims, who received compensation after being secretly filmed being intimate with his wife, said: "We felt humiliated when we signed the confidentiality agreement. We were literally silenced."
Moreover, the service usually does not notify law enforcement agencies about complaints about hidden cameras, even if they are minors. Instead, the security service can contact the hosts as part of internal investigations. According to experts, this approach interferes with the criminal investigation, giving suspects time to destroy evidence.
Despite the fact that the problem of hidden cameras has been known to Airbnb for at least a decade, video surveillance in common areas was allowed, provided that guests were warned. Only in March 2024, after the start of the CNN investigation and a parody sketch on Saturday Night Live, the platform completely banned indoor filming from April 30.
However, according to critics, the company did not even explain how it will enforce the new rules. "You can come up with perfect rules, but if no one is monitoring their implementation... it's like trying to clean up the jungle," said Bianca Zuniga-Goldwater, a lawyer representing several victims in lawsuits against Airbnb and Vrbo.
Airbnb generally actively opposes attempts to regulate the short-term rental market. A legal loophole in the form of section 230 of the Decency in Communications Act helps, which exempts Internet platforms from liability for content posted by users. Similarly, the service claims that it is not responsible for the actions of homeowners. However, this argument does not always work in court.
For victims, the consequences can be very traumatic. Many people live in constant fear that their intimate photos will end up on the Internet. As one of the victims rightly pointed out, "what gets into the digital space stays there forever."
Source
