New York forcing Airbnb to share host data
Airbnb has lost a battle to avoid passing on host data to New York authorities.
The company must hand over information about hosts to NYC’s enforcement agency after a vote by the city’s housing committee.
The full council is expected to adopt the bill which forces Airbnb to share addresses of rental properties on its site to New York’s Office of Special Enforcement.
It will also have to give information about whether a room or a whole residence is offered for short term rental and whether it is the host’s main home.
Airbnb had sought to block the proposal which it described as an ‘unchecked and aggressive invasion of privacy.’
The company hasn’t ruled out suing the city to reverse the decision.
Still, Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s head of policy expects only a temporary slump in business due to the move, based on similar crackdowns in other cities.
New York is Airbnb’s biggest market in the US but still only contributes about 3% of its listings worldwide.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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