Does your airbnb have a hidden camera?
The last thing you want to worry about while on holiday is your safety. But with the rise of home-rental services and the easy accessibility to surveillance technology, there's another danger that needs to be on your radar. Hidden cameras.
Recently, more and more travellers have come forward to report their horror stories of discovering a hidden camera in their short-term rental. Experts have warned against the disturbing practice as recording devices have been undetected even when planted right under our noses.
In a video from TikTok user, @malwaretech, Marcus Hutchins, outlines how to spot hidden cameras in hotels and Airbnbs.
“Take this fire alarm for instance, it is placed right above the bed,” the British backpacker says in the video.
“Now one way to see if the device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it. If you hit a camera lens it’s going to get a blue-ish reflection.”
You would never think to check, but even alarm clocks can double as cameras. Hutchins demonstrates in his video by shining his smart phone's flash on a mirrored clock face revealing a tiny camera lens behind the screen on one side of the digital counter.
“If we shine a bright light at it, we can shine through the glass, and see there’s a camera there. Now, this technique can also work on two-way mirrors.”
The video, now with five million likes, is frightening and unnerving, and another reminder to always be cautious while travelling.
Looking to buy a hidden camera detector?
