How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb • Hacker News Board

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#131

Post by TeMPOraL » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:44 PM UTC

_petronius wrote: post #127

TeMPOraL wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now for the counterargument: Airbnb is evil, because it facilitates and profits from rule and lawbreaking, up to and including turning whole apartment buildings into pirate hotels, while spinning the tale that it's all about individuals occasionally renting out their primary place of residence for a couple of days. It's evil because while occasional random temporary sublets aren't a problem, they become a problem whe…

I agree with this, and I think there is an interesting generalisation that can be pulled out of it: something’s which are fine (harmless, neutral, or even good) at a small individual scale become problematic or terrible when done at the scale that modern software and the internet can provide. VRBO isn’t inherently bad, hijacking VRBO into a stealth hotel business and breaking the social contract of residential neighb…

Exactly.

And what's extra sad here is that once a company like Uber or AirBnB gains large-scale success, there are only two things that happen. Some places accept it and eat the social externalities. Others try to ban the practice, but legislation is expensive, enforcement is expensive, and it also hurts the society by making illegal what was previously just fine on a small scale.

I think societies need to learn to recognize this pattern ASAP, because the best outcome is nipping such companies in the bud, before they grow and leave only two bad options on the table.

EDIT: Related is this post I read once:

https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2013/04/03/the-locust-economy/

It calls "sharing economy" a locust economy - an economy based on making money off leading masses of people to destroy other businesses, and ultimately each other.

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#132

Post by ilikehurdles » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:46 PM UTC

acollins1331 wrote: post #54

Someone on an Airbnb put me up in their place for next to nothing when I was fleeing a hurricane. Hotels were booked and upcharging people huge amounts. There are pros and cons to the system, anyone advocating banning it, however, is only seeing their own side.

I'm not at all for banning it. But stories like these, from a consumer standpoint, make me want to increasingly avoid Airbnb. Hosts need to be at minimum banned from the platform for having cameras in housing they're offering to guests. And "disclosing" them is not enough.

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#133

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:49 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #90

sschueller wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No but a license requires a regulatory body and that body should be tasks to inspect such things. Of course if the system is corrupt and broken it won't make a difference. Why have companies require FDA approval/inspections if it doesn't guarantee that there isn't some poison in your food?

What regulatory body currently inspects hotel rooms for hidden cameras or listening devices?

[deleted]

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#134

Post by jermy » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:52 PM UTC

petra wrote: post #96

pentae wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course the Dutch come up with a very fair and reasonable compromise.

>> Of course the Dutch come up with a very fair and reasonable compromise. Why ? what's different about dutch culture?

I think it might have been a pun relating to the phrase "Going Dutch"

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#135

Post by ghaff » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:52 PM UTC

danaris wrote: post #107

TeMPOraL wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what's the correct term for "a cheap hotel, usually without a minibar in the room"? Because that's what we call a "hostel" over where I live, and I assume in the rest of Europe.

Motel. They're usually what you'd expect from the lowest end of hotels, and (at least around here) a great many of them are left over from the '50s through the '70s—the pre-interstate era, where driving to visit somewhere several hours away usually meant stopping in some little town overnight. I haven't personally stayed in one, because I have enough money that I'd never have to, but the impression I have is that one…

That's certainly the image that the "motel" term conjures up. TBH, I'm not sure how broadly the term is used any longer. There are certainly more modern hotels/motels, many of them big chains, that are designed around people driving to them so you can usually park near your room.

The quality varies from pretty tired and not so clean, as you say, to--if not upscale exactly--to comfortable, modern, and clean.

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#136

Post by ghaff » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:55 PM UTC

ryanmercer wrote: post #128

ubermonkey wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The door isn't there, but many "business traveler" hotel lines are closer to what you describe. But yeah, if you want to cook, the options are slimmer. There ARE still options -- Extended Stay America, in the US, for example -- but mostly you'd be better off renting a property and not a hotel room.

>The door isn't there, but many "business traveler" hotel lines are closer to what you describe. Exactly, every business hotel I've ever seen has had a fridge, kitchen-style sink and a microwave. Then touristy locations often have condo rentals on a weekly basis which will have proper kitchens and washer & dryer, if you're travelling long enough to need a kitchen it's probably going to be a week or more. Worst case p…

>Exactly, every business hotel I've ever seen has had a fridge, kitchen-style sink and a microwave.

Not really my experience although a small refrigerator that isn't a minibar is more common than it used to be. Outside of extended stay hotels though, I don't see a microwave or other kitchen-related features very often.

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#137

Post by mbel » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:56 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #94

djsumdog wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about hostels? Sure you're in a share room, but you can often tell by reviews if a hostel is a "party hostel" or more all ages. And if it's not, just book for one or two nights. I practically lived out of different hostels, and one a few peoples' couches, for about 11 months once: https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/

I'll second the hostels, and don't dismiss them just because apparently in the US they imply bunk beds in large rooms. I've stayed in hostels quite a bit, and every one had places rented by the room , not by bed, and plenty of single and double rooms. Hostels, at least in (most of?) Europe, are essentially cheaper hotels, usually without a minibar and with much less upselling. Or, in terms I know from US cinema, they…

From my experience in Europe: hostels imply a bunk bed in shared room here too. I just made a quick search on booking.com for a hostel in Warsaw and nearly all of the offers were shared dormitories.

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#138

Post by swypych » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:57 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #108

risyachka wrote: post #104

Airbnb is not evil. Tourists that don't care or follow the rules are. Without Airbnb, they will bring the same problems just to other people in other places. Many hotels do charge unjustified amounts of money, so I am personally happy there is an option to pay reasonable money for good service. Also, it's not like hotels don't have their share of problems. Many hotels in many countries offer you pure garbage when you…

Now for the counterargument: Airbnb is evil, because it facilitates and profits from rule and lawbreaking, up to and including turning whole apartment buildings into pirate hotels, while spinning the tale that it's all about individuals occasionally renting out their primary place of residence for a couple of days. It's evil because while occasional random temporary sublets aren't a problem, they become a problem whe…

What social contract? People keep saying this but can you please enlighten me as to what this is. Where it is written?

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#139

Post by mbel » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 12:59 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #105

exergy wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ohh! Yep, communication breakdown. What you describe certainly sounds much better than the hostels I'm familiar with.

Yeah, I started reading the comments in surprise, and immediately headed to English Wikipedia, which revealed the depth of the mistake I made.

Well, according to Wikipedia it's the same in polish: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostel ;)

Re: How to Find Hidden Cameras in Your Airbnb

#140

Post by TeMPOraL » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 1:01 PM UTC

mbel wrote: post #137

TeMPOraL wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll second the hostels, and don't dismiss them just because apparently in the US they imply bunk beds in large rooms. I've stayed in hostels quite a bit, and every one had places rented by the room , not by bed, and plenty of single and double rooms. Hostels, at least in (most of?) Europe, are essentially cheaper hotels, usually without a minibar and with much less upselling. Or, in terms I know from US cinema, they…

From my experience in Europe: hostels imply a bunk bed in shared room here too. I just made a quick search on booking.com for a hostel in Warsaw and nearly all of the offers were shared dormitories.

Interesting. Could be that booking.com uses the US meaning of the term?

I must have stayed in something like 30 different hostels in Poland over the course of last decade; it was always in single bed or two-bed rooms, with the whole room rented for me. I never used booking.com, though, but always did a Google search for "hostele w $city", and reserved room via phone or web form.