Airbnb Host Shames Guest for Covering Doorbell Camera, Sparks "Privacy" Debate

There's no shortage of Airbnb horror stories on the internet. From guests finding surveillance equipment in their rental to finding evidence that maybe suggests said equipment was recently installed in their rental, to hosts being screwed over by guests who trash their rentals with either huge parties or just because they were raised by morons who taught them that that kind of behavior is fine, there's almost always some bit of drama for people to suss out that's related to the popular application.

And while it's understandable why folks would be wary of some total creepazoid decking out their bathroom or bedroom with surveillance cameras so they can watch you poop, undress, or get buck nasty, what about cameras for the outside of a home?

There are tons of people with ring doorbells on their properties, and while the popular video doorbell system does have its flaws users have to deal with from time to time, its intuitive user interface and relative cost-effectiveness make it an enticing deal for many homeowners who want an added level of security.

Plus it's great for helping to capture and even curb package thieves, and it could also be a useful tool for ensuring people aren't inviting all sorts of various and sundry individuals into a property you're monetizing through Airbnb.

And a recent TikTok uploaded by @therealwilliamstark, an Airbnb host who wasn't too jazzed about the fact that a guest covered his ring doorbell video camera, launched a debate about how much privacy guests should expect when booking through the application.

The clip shows the guest struggling a bit to get the towel to stay on the lens, however, they're ultimately successful in doing so. The host captions in a text overlay: "That time an Airbnb guest it was a good idea to put a towel over the ring camera." In the video's caption he labels the Airbnb guest as a "bonehead" and used the #idiotsquad hashtag.

While it hasn't been confirmed or disproven that the guest is a card-carrying member of the Idiot Squad, or if this group of dunces is an officially recognized entity, that hasn't stopped the video from becoming massively popular.

The TikTok video has currently been viewed several million times and has over 3,000 comments and 120,000 likes.

While there are many people who believe that it's quite silly for the guest to cover the Ring Video camera as it's not pointing to anywhere inside the house and is no different than staying at a hotel with cameras in the lobbies (all of them do), others pointed out another obvious fact.

And it's that the Airbnb Host clearly states in the posting that there's a Ring camera on the premises. So if there was a guest who wasn't into that, then they could've just decided not to stay at that particular rental.

However, there were others who criticized the host for "mocking" the guest and that putting cameras on a property that you own to ensure that guests aren't violating maximum occupancy rules, or, you know, setting up a drug deal and sacrificing animals or whatever the youth are doing in rentals these days.

Some pointed out that a host being able to listen in on folks' conversations when they step outside to take a phone isn't exactly the kind of vacation experience they plan on having. Also, the idea of the host knowing whenever you come and go on the property also didn't sit well with them.

Others commented that they didn't see the point of staying at an Airbnb over a hotel as they essentially cost the same amount of money plus there's the threat of being randomly under surveillance. Then there are the chores that many hosts require guests do before checking out.

What do you think? Do you think these Airbnb horror stories are just one-offs that too many people unduly focus their attention on while knot acknowledging the app's success stories? Or are you team hotel-because-Airbnbs-are-creepy all the way?