The record · 6 charts

Airbnb says hidden cameras are rare. Its own records say 35,000.

Sworn testimony, police files and survey data: what happens when a guest finds a camera, and what Airbnb does and doesn't do next.

Published · Bluemind Software · 5 min read

35,000

support tickets about surveillance devices in ten years, per Airbnb's own representative, under oath.

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2,126

images seized from one Airbnb Superhost's cabin. Police identified more than 30 victims, including children.

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2 months

that host's listing stayed live after police told Airbnb about the investigation.

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55%

of Airbnb hosts say they still use indoor cameras, a year after Airbnb banned them.

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Chart 1

“Rare” looks like this

Airbnb has said hidden camera complaints are rare, and that when they do occur, it takes “appropriate, swift action.”1 In a January 2023 deposition, the company's own representative put a number on it: 35,000 customer support tickets about surveillance devices in the preceding decade.1

35,000 1 dot = 1 support ticket

2013 → 2023 ≈ 10 tickets a day. Every day, for ten years.

Airbnb says one report can produce several tickets as it passes between staff, and its representative suggested some were things like a malfunctioning doorbell camera.1 A former Airbnb safety agent told CNN:

“I've never received a call about a doorbell.”

Former Airbnb safety agent, to CNN

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One Superhost, 2,126 images

A cabin in Comfort, Texas, run by a host with both Airbnb Superhost and Vrbo Premier Host status.2 Here's how it unfolded.

  1. A camera goes into the bedroom Disguised as a router power adapter. It cost under $130 and took a picture every few seconds. It stayed in place for at least nine months.2
  2. A guest couple finds it They report it to Airbnb. The reply comes in the app: “Do you mind if we contact the host and get his side of the story?”
  3. Police raid the property Investigators recover 2,126 images2 and identify more than 30 victims, including several children.1
  4. The sheriff tells Airbnb Kendall County Sheriff's Office notifies Airbnb of its investigation.1
  5. The listing is still live Almost two months after police told Airbnb, and five months after the guests found the camera, the listing was still active on Airbnb's site.1
  6. Sentenced: 1 year The host pleaded guilty to six felony counts of invasive visual recording; nine more were dismissed.3 The guests' lawsuit against Airbnb was settled out of court.3

“Less than a month for every victim.”

The guest who found the camera, to CNN

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What happens when you report a camera

According to the deposition, when a guest complains of a hidden camera, Airbnb doesn't, as a matter of practice, notify law enforcement. Not even when a child is involved.1

YouFind a camera and report it in the app
AirbnbSupport opens a ticket
PoliceNot notifiedas a matter of practice
The hostMay be contacted“to get his side of the story”
Based on sworn testimony by an Airbnb representative, reported by CNN.1

Law enforcement experts told CNN that reaching out to the host can hinder a criminal investigation, because it gives a suspect time to destroy evidence.1 If you find a camera, call the police yourself.

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Then comes the fine print

CNN reviewed more than a dozen police investigations and lawsuits involving at least 75 victims.1 Most of those cases never reach an open courtroom.

Guest complaintssent to private arbitration, not open court
Settlementssigned with confidentiality agreements

“We were gagged.”

A guest who settled with Airbnb, to CNN.1

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The ban, and a year later

In March 2024, Airbnb announced it would ban every indoor camera from April 30: switched on or off, hidden or disclosed, even baby monitors.45 A year later, IPX1031 surveyed Americans about rentals.6

55% of Airbnb hosts say they still use indoor cameras
47% of guests say they've found a camera during a stay
64% of guests don't know how to check for one

Guests who say they've found a camera during a stay

202325%
202547%
1 in 5 of those guests found it in a bedroom, bathroom or common area. IPX1031 survey, June 2025.6

Chart 6

Airbnb's cut of your stay

Airbnb collects roughly 17% of each booking.1 Checking the room is still up to you.

≈ $170 of a $1,000 stay goes to Airbnb

Illustrative $1,000 booking at the roughly 17% CNN reports.

What you can do

Nobody checks the room for you. It takes two minutes.

  1. Scan the Wi-Fi. List every device on the network. A streaming camera has to be on one.
  2. Lights off, flashlight on. Sweep the room through your camera. A lens throws back a sharp point of light that doesn't move when you do.
  3. Check anything odd up close. Power adapters, smoke detectors, clocks: camera electronics make a magnetometer reading jump.
  4. Found one? Don't touch it. Photograph it, leave the room, and call the police. Then report it to Airbnb.

Read the full 2-minute guide

Sources

  1. CNN, How Airbnb fails to protect guests from hidden cameras, July 9, 2024. Includes testimony from a January 2023 deposition of an Airbnb representative, police records and court filings.
  2. KSAT, Investigators uncover more than 2,100 images in growing Hill Country hidden camera case, February 10, 2022.
  3. KSAT, Hill Country man who secretly recorded guests sentenced to one year in jail, February 10, 2023.
  4. NPR, Airbnb bans all indoor security cameras, March 11, 2024.
  5. Airbnb Help Center, Restrictions on security cameras and other devices in homes, accessed September 2026.
  6. IPX1031, 2025 Vacation Rental Study on Hidden Cameras & Guest Privacy. Online survey, June 2025.