Weeks after Airbnb said it would permanently ban parties at properties rented through its platform, the company is deploying so-called “anti-party technology” in the United States and Canada to help enforce the measure.
The new system analyzes a variety of factors, according to a company announcement Tuesday, including previous reviews, how long a user has been on the platform, the length of the stay and whether the rental is occurring on a weekend or weekday.
The goal, Airbnb said, is to “help identify potentially high-risk reservations” and prevent those users from completing a booking. Those who are unable to book homes as a result of the anti-party tech will have the option to reserve a hotel room or a private room (rather than an entire property where a host is less likely to be present) through the platform, Airbnb said.
Airbnb made its ban on all parties and events permanent in June, about two years after announcing a temporary prohibition. Initially, the company said the ban was to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing efforts, as well as a response to pandemic bar and club closures pushing many Airbnb users to party in rented homes. But eventually, the company said, the move “developed into a bedrock community policy.”
Over the years, Airbnb has had to confront headlines about violent incidents taking place during parties at rental properties. In April, for instance, two teens were killed and several people were injured at a party thrown in an Airbnb-rented property in Pittsburgh.
Airbnb said there was a 44% year-over-year decline in the rate of party reports in June, which it attributed to the policy change.
Airbnb has been testing similar technology to address the issue in Australia since 2021, with a 35% decline in unauthorized parties following the rollout, according to the company. Airbnb said the pilot in Australia was so effective that it is now becoming permanent in the country and the company is “hoping for similar success” in North America.
After announcing a temporary ban on parties in 2020, Airbnb implemented a similar system focused on users under the age of 25 who were booking rentals locally and did not have positive reviews. The company described its newer anti-party technology as “more robust and sophisticated.”
“We anticipate that this new system will help prevent more bad actors on our platform,” the company said, “while having less of a blunt impact on guests who are not trying to throw a party.”
In a TikTok video that’s been viewed more than 33.6 million times, Marcus Hutchins, an ex-hacker and cybersecurity expert, showed his followers how to discover hidden cameras.
“One way to see if a device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it. If you hit a camera lens, it’s going to give a bluish reflection,” Hutchins explains.
Some objects you may want to check include smoke detectors, outlets, and clocks.
In a TikTok video that’s been viewed more than 33.6 million times, Marcus Hutchins, an ex-hacker and cybersecurity expert, showed his followers how to discover hidden cameras.
“One way to see if a device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it. If you hit a camera lens, it’s going to give a bluish reflection,” Hutchins explains.
Some objects you may want to check include smoke detectors, outlets, and clocks.
If you feel as though an item is not where it’s supposed to be, you can ease your worries by covering the item up with a towel or temporarily placing it in a drawer or closet, a security expert Jack Plaxe told HuffPost.
“If you have suspicions about something in the room, like, for example, an alarm clock, it’s very simple to take a piece of clothing out of your suitcase and drape it over the alarm clock,” Plaxe said. “If there’s a lens there, it’s not going to capture any images of you with your T-shirt sitting over it.”
If you feel as though an item is not where it’s supposed to be, you can ease your worries by covering the item up with a towel or temporarily placing it in a drawer or closet, a security expert Jack Plaxe told HuffPost.
“If you have suspicions about something in the room, like, for example, an alarm clock, it’s very simple to take a piece of clothing out of your suitcase and drape it over the alarm clock,” Plaxe said. “If there’s a lens there, it’s not going to capture any images of you with your T-shirt sitting over it.”
Another way to ensure someone is not spying on you through a device you suspect of being a hidden camera is to unplug objects that do not need to be plugged in.
For instance, Michael O’Rourke, chief executive of Advanced Operational Concepts, explained to The Washington Post that unplugging the alarm clock in any hotel room he enters causes the device, if it is a camera, to go offline.
Pixabay
Another way to ensure someone is not spying on you through a device you suspect of being a hidden camera is to unplug objects that do not need to be plugged in.
For instance, Michael O’Rourke, chief executive of Advanced Operational Concepts, explained to The Washington Post that unplugging the alarm clock in any hotel room he enters causes the device, if it is a camera, to go offline.
Most cameras that have a streaming capability require WiFi to function. Sometimes, you can even see the hidden device listed as a WiFi source when searching for available networks on a mobile device.
You can disrupt a potential spy by unplugging the home’s router. If you get a message from your host asking why the WiFi signal has been disrupted, there’s a possibility that the host has been monitoring a device within the home that is connected to the internet, Business Insider reports.
Most cameras that have a streaming capability require WiFi to function. Sometimes, you can even see the hidden device listed as a WiFi source when searching for available networks on a mobile device.
You can disrupt a potential spy by unplugging the home’s router. If you get a message from your host asking why the WiFi signal has been disrupted, there’s a possibility that the host has been monitoring a device within the home that is connected to the internet, Business Insider reports.
