Airbnb hosts in New York are about run into the business end of the sharing economy. According to a newly agreed upon subpoena, the $10 billion rental site will submit anonymized data on local hosts. But if the Attorney General suspects illegal activity, Airbnb will turn over your name, social media account, exact address, Tax ID number and more.
Airbnb is not in the clear yet. In court papers filed today, New York State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the $10 billion rental company and quashed a subpoena for data about illegal Airbnb hosts. However, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman plans to reissue the subpoena this week, narrowing it down to the judge's specifications.
New York City Council wants to join the fight against illegal Airbnbs, prompted by data from the hotel lobby. Earlier "a trio of well-connected San Franciscans" backed a ballot that might reward neighbors for reporting law-breaking hosts. You know how tech millionaires don't realize they're not the underdogs anymore. . .
Airbnb might lose the fight of its life—or at least the trust of its customers—the very same week that it officially closed a deal for $450 million in venture capital. The New York Post reports that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will go forward with a subpoena "to identify users who are illegally renting out apartments."
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued a subpoena "demanding user data" about Airbnb hosts in New York, reports the New York Daily News. An Airbnb representative told Valleywag that the subpoena covers only the 15,000 hosts, and not all 225,000 users in New York. Airbnb has until today to turn over the data.
