I am new to this world and excited to start my first sit next week.
I’m wondering if anyone has come across hidden cameras - I’m not normally paranoid but understand that it is not uncommon for Airbnbs.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
You can use the magnifying glass on the right to search for previous threads about that.
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Welcome @Ricki,
The Terms of Service we all agree to when joining THS covers your concern. Below is what owners are agreeing to. HOWEVER, many members do not read the T of S so it is best to clarify with owners. Some members have had very distressing experiences with their privacy invaded when internal cameras have not been a) disclosed and/or b) disabled.
5.2.15. follow our Camera and Recording Devices Policy. This includes having no internal recording or monitoring devices enabled during a Sit
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There’s an app that I use called fing that I use to find hidden cameras. Just learn to be assertive when discussing a sit prior to confirming with HOs that cameras are definitely not allowed indoors under the THS T&Cs. If you find any then simply unplug/disable or cover over.
Also think about how you feel about outdoor cameras monitoring your comings and goings, or indeed GPS trackers on the dogs you’re walking. All this technology has to be managed between the sitter and HO.
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Short answer: yep. Like Airbnbs, anctive indoor cameras are explicitly not allowed on THS but some people…. Active outdoor cameras are allowed but must be declared in the sit profile. The policy leaves a bunch of wiggle room. Declared indoor but inactive cameras are allowed but it can be hard to determine if a camera is inactive. Network sniffers like Fing can reveal online devices on the WiFi network you’re connected to but aren’t much use if they are on subnetworks. Hidden camera detectors like are reportedly quite effective and pretty cheap peace of mind.
Assertive sitters who discover hidden cameras can leave a sit with minimal warning to hosts. If the prospect of hidden cameras bothers you, maybe add a fair warning advisory about your concern in your profile?
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