Couple horrified to discover they are being recorded with hidden cameras while renting an Airbnb apartment
The Daily Mail
By Sam McPhee
15 August 2017
A Taiwanese couple have made the shocking discovery of hidden cameras in their Airbnb apartment
A couple have made the shocking discovery of hidden cameras in their Airbnb apartment.
Zhang Zhen and his partner allegedly found the recording devices lodged
in fire extinguishers in the Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, earlier this year.
The pair say they found two cameras - one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom.
Zhang Zhen and
his partner allegedly found the recording devices lodged in fire
extinguishers in the Kaohsiung City home earlier this year
Mr Zhen found the cameras on their first evening in the west Taiwan
apartment after incredibly spotting a tiny flashing red light in a
smoke detector.
They immediately called police who seized the devices and alerted Airbnb.
Cameras appear to have been inserted through pinholes in the ceiling
and footage captured show Mr Zhen in the bath and he and his partner
watching television in bed.
Airbnb apologized through the company's Weibo page on Friday and say
they have removed the man permanently from their registrar and promised
a full refund.
'For all tenants of privacy protection Airbnb welcome the top priority,' the statement reads.
'For any violation of privacy, we are adopting a zero tolerance policy.
I am sorry to see that our users on the platform are subject to privacy
violations, we have immediately moved the landlord Airbnb love the
community, and for the tenant to provide a full refund.' [sic]
'The landlord must fully inform the location of the camera or other
surveillance equipment installed in or near the premises and seek the
consent of the tenant. The camera installed in the bathroom or in the
room is absolutely not allowed.'
A spokesperson for Airbnb told Daily Mail Australia: 'Our original
handling of this incident fell below the high standards we set for
ourselves. We have apologized to the guest for their experience and we
are working with them to make things right.'
However, reports in China say the couple have not been personally contacted by Airbnb.
Mr Zhen and his partner have taken legal action against the owner for invasion of privacy.
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