Airbnb to turn over data for 124 New York hosts in state investigation

As part of an investigation by the New York Attorney General, Airbnb is turning over personal information for 124 hosts on its home rental platform, as noted by The Wall Street Journal.

A state subpoena from last year requested records for thousands of Airbnb’s hosts. The startup fought the request, calling it a “government-sponsored fishing expedition,” but eventually agreed in May to provide a set of anonymized data. After reviewing that data, the Attorney General has now requested full information for a small group of alleged “bad actors.”

Airbnb contends that the “vast majority” of the affected hosts are no longer on the platform. Regular hosts opening up their own homes should have nothing to fear, as all of the active subpoenaed hosts renting had multiple listings. Airbnb said it has contacted all 124 users and will continue to provide updates on the situation in the future.

➤ New York Update [Airbnb Public Policy blog]