Product Hunt Daily Digest
November 5th, 2019

Is your Airbnb host a spy?

Allen Walton has been in the surveillance space for nearly a decade. He’s the founder of SpyGuy, an online security store he launched in 2014 after reading Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek. The business now makes over seven figures selling products like spy cameras, GPS trackers, covert audio recorders, bug detectors and, most recently, a hidden camera finder. 🔎

Yesterday, Allen launched Scout, the first product he’s made in-house. Scout is a hidden camera finder for anyone who’s concerned about being spied on in private spaces (like in Airbnbs, hotels and public restrooms).

“Over time, I've watched as more and more stories hit the news about hidden cameras being found in private places - and those are just the ones that were found. Since I've been in the industry so long, I know just how prevalent these things are, how people are using them, and how people are really concerned about being filmed without their consent.” - Allen

While most media advice will tell you to scan WiFi networks or buy a radio frequency detector in order to find hidden cameras, Scout looks for the lens itself. But Allen isn’t knocking the use of hidden cameras — he does sell those on his website too, after all. 🤔

“Hidden cameras (and other spy tools) can be great tools when used legally. I've had law enforcement, private investigators, business owners, concerned parents, concerned children of the elderly.... they can be used to catch abuse, theft, and even save lives. Putting them in private areas is illegal, though, and Scout helps find those cameras.” - Allen

For the most part, comments on Scout have illuminated how much people have immediately fallen for the product. In fact, it’s filling a real need. A recent survey found that 58% of Airbnb guests are worried about hidden cameras inside Airbnbs and more than 1 in 10 Airbnb guests have discovered a hidden camera in their rental.

“Can't wait to use it in my check-in ritual at all Airbnb's moving forward.” - Jesse

“In this case, the hidden camera finder is a super compelling product for those who are traveling the world, especially as cameras become smaller and more obscure.” - Nick

“Thanks for helping women fight the creep factor while traveling.” - Ellen

Get Scout
HIGHLIGHT

In this week’s edition of Product Hunt Radio, we talked to Venture Harbour founder Marcus Taylor on bootstrapping nine businesses to millions in revenue. He also talks about why he doesn’t use social media, why he reads books slowly and how he uses coaches to get the most out of his work.

We’ll be back next week with another special guest, so be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. 😸

Sponsored By

Our reliance on data is becoming a challenge. We use more data in more places and on more devices these days, creating more opportunities for data loss. At the same time, cybercriminals are using huge amounts of computing power and cutting-edge AI to make their attacks more effective and damaging. Now they’re producing new strains of ransomware faster than traditional anti-virus can keep up.

Acronis believes countering these trends requires combining data protection and cybersecurity into one approach, called cyber protection.

Acronis True Image is the only personal solution that addresses all Five Vectors of Cyber Protection (also known as SAPAS), which are:

  • Safety: Ensure that a reliable copy of your data is always available
  • Accessibility: Make your data easily available from anywhere at any time
  • Privacy: Control who has visibility and access to your data
  • Authenticity: Have undeniable proof a copy of your data is an exact replica of the original
  • Security: Protect your data, apps, and systems against malicious threats 

While these vectors often compete with one another – locking a hard drive inside a vault guarantees the data’s safety but makes the data inaccessible, for example – effective cyber protection is based on addressing all Five Vectors in an integrated solution.

Only Acronis True Image delivers the right balance, providing easy, efficient, secure cyber protection. And now, you can enjoy 30% off Acronis True Image by going to go.acronis.com/producthunt.