German City Wants Names And Addresses Of Airbnb Hosts; Chinese Province Demands Full Details Of Every Guest Too
from the sharing,-but-not-like-that dept
Online services like Airbnb and Uber like to style themselves as part of the "sharing economy". In truth, they are just new twists on the rental sector, taking advantage of the Internet's widespread availability to broaden participation and ease negotiation. This has led to a tension between the online services and traditional local regulators, something Techdirt noted in the US, back in 2016. Similar battles are still being fought around the world. Here's what is happening in Germany, as reported by Out-Law.com:
The City of Munich asked Airbnb to provide it with all advertisements for rooms in the city which exceeded the permissible maximum lease period [of eight weeks in a calendar year]. Specifically, for the period from January 2017 to July 2018, it wanted Airbnb to disclose the addresses of the apartments offered as well as the names and addresses of the hosts.
Airbnb challenged the request before the administrative court in Munich, which has just ruled that the US company must comply with German laws, even though its European office is based in Ireland. It said that the request was lawful, and did not conflict with the EU's privacy regulations. Finally, it ruled that the City of Munich's threat to impose a €300,000 fine on Airbnb if it did not comply with its information request was also perfectly OK. Presumably Airbnb will appeal against the decision, but if it is confirmed it could encourage other cities in Germany to make similar requests. At least things there aren't as bad as in China. According to a post from TechNode:
The eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang will require online home-sharing platforms, including Airbnb, to report owner and guest information to the province's Public Security Department. The platforms will need to check, register, and report the identity of both parties, including the time the guest plans to arrive and leave the property.
That information provides a very handy way of keeping tabs on people travelling around the province who stay in Airbnb properties and the like. It's yet another example of how the Chinese authorities are forcing digital services to help keep an eye on every aspect of citizens' lives.
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Filed Under: china, germany, home rentals, home sharing, privacy, rentals
Companies: airbnb
Reader Comments
The First Word
“Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local rules
"Why this piece? It could only be if NEW or surprising"Why this comment? You appear to be whining about the same thing.
But, seriously - the information in these two arguments *are* new - specifically because the laws in those places have been changed IN RESPONSE TO AirBnB. It would be equally newsworthy if they'd changed it because they noticed they need competent mental healthcare professions in your area, as poorly served as it clearly is.
"I suppose that the usual know-it-alls will pop in to say "Nuhn't uh! No office in country means IMMUNE from their laws!""
Well, no, because the only people who ever say that are the straw men in your head, and they can't post on the internet, not being real and all.
made the First Word by Gary
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If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local rules.
I suppose that the usual know-it-alls will pop in to say "Nuhn't uh! No office in country means IMMUNE from their laws!"
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Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then Troll
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Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local rules
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Are your ducts old and tired?
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I cannot see how this is any cause for concern, let alone a stub article here.
Tying the story to the Chinese government's rapacious data collection on the perfectly legal activities of visitors and citizens is just ridiculous.
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Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local lies
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Re: Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local l
Some folks are so lame it boggles the mind.
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I am actually surprised they didn't ask for details of all hosts so they can cross check with tax receipts. It is likely only a matter of time before that happens.
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Re: Are your ducts old and tired?
Just look at how often someone committing a terrorist incident was known to the authorities, but nobody was actually looking at them when they prepared and carried out an act of terrorism. The authorities can usually piece to gathered how the act was carried out after the event by going back through all the data they has collected.
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Tempting as it may be to bash the snoopers,
If people don't have an issue with those Hotel requirements (even though they should, really!), then it is hard to blame authorities requesting similar information for digital platforms.
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Re: Re: Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to loc
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Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to local rules
Why this comment? You appear to be whining about the same thing.
But, seriously - the information in these two arguments *are* new - specifically because the laws in those places have been changed IN RESPONSE TO AirBnB. It would be equally newsworthy if they'd changed it because they noticed they need competent mental healthcare professions in your area, as poorly served as it clearly is.
"I suppose that the usual know-it-alls will pop in to say "Nuhn't uh! No office in country means IMMUNE from their laws!""
Well, no, because the only people who ever say that are the straw men in your head, and they can't post on the internet, not being real and all.
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Re: Are your ducts old and tired?
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Re: Tempting as it may be to bash the snoopers,
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Re: Re: Re: If doing "business" in a locale, then subject to loc
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There appears to be a crackdown on businesses that believe they are operating perfectly legally, but get special negative treatment when they start disrupting the business models of incumbent players, even when the new models clearly benefit the average consumer.
You may disagree with this interpretation, but the fact it appears to be happening is worthy of discussion.
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Re: Are your ducts old and tired?
What, you mean like they did with the Tiananmen Square Protests that led to the Tiananmen Square Massacres?
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