The New York City Council has passed a law requiring Airbnb and similar services to share their users data.
Airbnb had vehemently opposed the law, but council authorities suggested that the local government needs to know the number and nature of residents using the service.
“This bill is about transparency and bringing accountability to billion-dollar companies who are not being good neighbours,” said New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera.
Airbnb will be made to present monthly:
• Name, physical address, email, Airbnb profile URL, and phone number of hosts active that month
• Addresses and URLs of any properties a given host rents out, and whether it was a full-home or partial-home rental
• Total days the property was rented, rent/price paid, and any fees collected by the service.
If a company fails to hand over the data, it will be charged at least $1,500 per item.
