WE GOT BUGS!
Expedia Group to close Seattle HQ temporarily to enhance security after discovery of spy cameras
Expedia Group will close its Seattle headquarters for three days starting this weekend to further enhance its security and improve its ability to detect unauthorized devices after news broke this week about the discovery of spy cameras in two bathrooms at the campus in December and January.
A former Expedia Group employee, Marcelo F. Vargas-Fernandez, 42, pleaded not guilty to four counts of voyeurism in connection with the case during his arraignment Thursday in King County Superior Court in Seattle.
Seattle Police Department investigators have returned to campus to conduct additional searches, and no additional recording devices were found in those searches, an Expedia Group spokesperson said via email Friday.
The company informed employees Friday that it will close the campus temporarily, from Saturday through Monday, “to install additional security enhancements and accelerate our detection capabilities,” the spokesperson said.
Expedia Group said previously that the person charged in the incident is no longer employed by the company.
Video recording devices were first found on Dec. 4 under the sinks, pointed at the toilets, in two single-occupancy, non-gender bathrooms on the Expedia Group campus, according to a probable cause affidavit accompanying the charges against Vargas-Fernandez. However, “security supervisors made the decision not to take the devices because at the time they thought it was a music device or a battery backup for the soap dispensers,” the affidavit said.
The next morning, the devices were gone.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion alleges that Vargas-Fernandez removed the cameras after that initial discovery, then reinstalled them in early January. They were discovered again on Jan. 11.
Vargas-Fernandez was arrested Feb. 1 by Seattle police, who found at least 33 additional spy cameras when executing a search warrant inside his Lynwood, Wash., apartment, according to the probable cause affidavit.
GeekWire first reported the news about the charges against Vargas-Fernandez on Tuesday morning, followed by reports from other news organizations. In messages to GeekWire after the news broke this week, some Expedia Group employees said the media reports were the first they had heard about the incident, expressing disappointment that the company had not proactively communicated with them previously.
Expedia Group has since sent multiple messages to employees, including one informing them of the planned closure to enhance security and detection capabilities on the Seattle headquarters campus.
The company does not take President’s Day as a holiday. Expedia has a hybrid work policy, and the number of people typically in the office on Monday is relatively low compared to some other days of the week, employees say.
The Expedia Group spokesperson said Friday via email that the company is continuing to implement measures to enhance security for employees while also providing options for support services related to the incident.
Vargas-Fernandez denied involvement when initially questioned by police, according to the probable cause affidavit. His attorney, Charles R. Varni, has not yet responded to messages from GeekWire seeking comment.
Expedia Group includes brands such as vrbo, Orbitz, Hotwire, Trivago, Hotels.com, and Egencia in addition to the flagship Expedia.com. The company moved to its expansive campus overlooking Elliott Bay in Seattle in the fall of 2019 from its previous location in Bellevue, Wash.
Expedia Group is in the midst of a leadership transition with the announcement Feb. 8 that CEO Peter Kern will be stepping down from the role in May, replaced by Ariane Gorin, currently president of Expedia for Business. Kern will remain vice chairman and stay on the board.
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