The accommodation platform counter-attacked on Friday, August 24 in its battle against New York City, suing it for "abuse of power" after adopting a decree obliging it to communicate the list of its hosts.
The August 6 municipal order requires Airbnb and other short-term accommodation sites to provide the City with a list of transactions for housing in New York.
The New York decree should enable the city to apply more effectively New York State texts which prohibit renting accommodation for less than 30 days unless the host is present.
Although the order is not expected to take effect before February 2, 2019, Airbnb argues that it should already begin to seek the consent of "dozens of thousands of hosts" and adopt "a system of collection and confirmation" of this data.
The platform, which is asking the courts to prohibit the application of the decree, also condemns "an unprecedented measure" in its scope and frequency, which provides no means to prevent the dissemination of these private data.
Also read: Airbnb accuses New York City of corruption
One of the city's officials, Christian Klossner, immediately responded by assuring that New York would "defend its order," which "provides the city with the critical data it needs to maintain its housing stock, guarantee the safety of tourists and residents."
