Airbnb is only now just banning indoor security cameras.
The vacation property rentals company said in an update that the ban will apply to listings globally. It will go into effect on April 30.
Airbnb said it is making the change in an effort to simplify its policy on security cameras and prioritize customer privacy.
In the past, the San Francisco, California-based company allowed indoor security cameras in common areas, such as hallways and living rooms, so long as their use was disclosed in the listing page before a customer booked their stay. Airbnb said the update may impact “a smaller subset of listings,” since a majority of hosts report not having a security camera.
But even so, Airbnb is not banning the use of all cameras. The company said hosts may still use outdoor security cameras including additional devices, such as doorbell cameras and noise decibel monitors.
This way, hosts can “monitor security for their home” and keep themselves in the loop on “unauthorized parties,” Airbnb said. Hosts however, will need to let guests know where the outdoor security cameras are before they book, as well as whether there is a noise decibel monitor.
Moreover, outdoor security cameras cannot be used to monitor outdoor areas that call for more privacy, such as outdoor showers or saunas, the company said.
Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s head of community policy and partnerships, said the changes were based on feedback from guests, hosts, and privacy experts.