A travel blogger from New Zealand has reported that her Cork Airbnb had a hidden camera in it.
Speaking New Zealand website Stuff, Nealie Barker said she and her five children were holidaying in Cork when they noticed their Airbnb appeared to be equipped with a hidden camera.
Barker said that they discovered the device when her husband attempted to connect to the WiFi, and saw an option called “IP Camera.”
“He scanned that device’s ports and found the live video feed. We were all watching ourselves on his mobile phone,” Barker said.
“There is no way to know whether the camera was recording. We asked the host but he refused to answer. We also asked if it was recording audio, again he refused to answer.”
Airbnb is an online service which allows private actors to rent out their accommodation.
Barker has said she was initially disappointed with Airbnb’s response, but the digital platform has since confirmed that they have permanently removed the host from their site. They have also clarified their regulations around cameras: “If you’re a host and you have any type of surveillance device in or around a listing, even if it’s not turned on or hooked up, we require that you indicate its presence in your House Rules.”
The guests said it had taken a long time for Airbnb to respond to their claim, for which the company has also apologised: “Our original handling of this incident did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves, and we have apologised to the family and fully refunded their stay.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
