The ten minutes after
Found something? Do this, in order
The instinct is to grab it, unplug it, or march to the front desk. Slow down — the order protects both your privacy and your ability to hold someone accountable.
The six steps
- Don't touch it, unplug it, or move it. It's potential evidence. Investigators have pulled fingerprints and memory cards full of dated footage from devices left in place. Yanking it destroys that.
- Cover your exposed sightlines right now. Drape a towel over it, or move yourself and your things out of its view. Privacy back immediately, evidence undisturbed.
- Photograph it in place. Wide first, then close — where it is, what it's aimed at, and a shot from the bed or doorway showing what the lens could see. Photos carry timestamps; that timeline is worth having.
- Write down the timeline while it's fresh. When you arrived, when you found it, who you told, what they said. Five sentences in your notes app.
- Report it in writing, in the app — so there's a record. If you feel unsafe or the placement is egregious (a bathroom, a bedroom), contact local police and let them handle the device.
- Then relocate, and keep everything — photos, messages, case numbers.
Why not just confront the host?
Because you don't know who you're dealing with, and a confrontation escalates a situation you'd rather document and exit calmly. It also warns them — and a warned host removes the device before anyone official sees it.
Not sure it's a camera?
That's the common case. Cover the sightline, photograph it, and ask the host a neutral question in writing: "What's this device on the shelf in the bedroom?" The answer — and how fast it comes — tells you a great deal. A host with nothing to hide answers in a sentence.
Your rights, in one paragraph
A hidden camera in a bedroom or bathroom is a crime essentially everywhere in the U.S. — state voyeurism and unlawful-surveillance statutes are what prosecutors typically use, and if the device recorded audio, wiretap law often makes it more serious. Platform policy is separate and faster: Airbnb has banned all indoor cameras since April 2024, and reporting a breach can get you moved and refunded the same day. You don't need to know which statute applies — that's the police department's job. Your job is to preserve the scene and report. (General information, not legal advice.)
The book’s legal primer covers all of this state of play in plain English. The complete system — every check on this site plus the ten-minute walkthrough, audio devices, your legal rights, and what to do if you find something. 47 printable pages, instant download, keep it on any device.
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