Post by High Priestess on Dec 6, 2016 15:58:01 GMT
This is an important case, going on in Chicago -- the city of Chicago has passed a law that requires Airbnb to provide data about hosts to the city. Names, addresses, number of nights they rent out their property -- the city wants all this data. Surprisingly, Airbnb has indicated a willingness to oblige, even though for the most part, Airbnb has strenuously worked to protect the privacy of its users. Hosts are suing the city.
skift.com/2016/11/10/chicago-airbnb-hosts-sue-city-over-information-sharing/
chicago.suntimes.com/politics/lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-chicagos-home-sharing-ordinance/
keepchicagolivable.com/
keepchicagolivable.com/lawsuit/
keepchicagolivable.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/16-1104-KCL-Class-Action-Complaint-Filed.pdf
As someone who's been observing cities' methods of regulating short term rentals, concerned about the way such regulations might veer into the realm of violations of citizen's rights under the US Constitution (such as First Amendment rights to free speech, and Fourth AMendment rights against unreasonable government searches or seizures -- including governments demanding data to go on "fishing expeditions" -- ) I share the concern that Chicago hosts have with their cities' apparent blatant violation of these constitutional protections.
Said one host:
Paradoxically, at the same time that hosts are suing the city over the privacy intrusions involved in the new law, Airbnb is at the same time touting the set-up in Chicago as a model of its new method of working with cities. That statement might well raise concerns for many.
skift.com/2016/11/10/chicago-airbnb-hosts-sue-city-over-information-sharing/
chicago.suntimes.com/politics/lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-chicagos-home-sharing-ordinance/
keepchicagolivable.com/
keepchicagolivable.com/lawsuit/
keepchicagolivable.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/16-1104-KCL-Class-Action-Complaint-Filed.pdf
As someone who's been observing cities' methods of regulating short term rentals, concerned about the way such regulations might veer into the realm of violations of citizen's rights under the US Constitution (such as First Amendment rights to free speech, and Fourth AMendment rights against unreasonable government searches or seizures -- including governments demanding data to go on "fishing expeditions" -- ) I share the concern that Chicago hosts have with their cities' apparent blatant violation of these constitutional protections.
Said one host:
Chicago crossed the line into the privacy of people’s homes by imposing sweeping regulations governing Airbnb and other home-sharing services, a lawsuit from a group of current and former Airbnb hosts argues.
Keep Chicago Livable says the ordinance set to take effect in December tramples constitutional rights to freely and anonymously communicate on the internet, use one’s own property, be guaranteed due process, and be protected against illegal search and seizure. The group filed its lawsuit Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“The law requires Airbnb to share with the government all information about its users in Chicago without a warrant, consent, or proof of any crime,” said Shorge Kenneth Sato, an attorney for the group. “Information about who they have as guests, where they live, how much they paid, how long they stayed.”
“All that information is private. Government has no business knowing that,” he said.
Keep Chicago Livable says the ordinance set to take effect in December tramples constitutional rights to freely and anonymously communicate on the internet, use one’s own property, be guaranteed due process, and be protected against illegal search and seizure. The group filed its lawsuit Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“The law requires Airbnb to share with the government all information about its users in Chicago without a warrant, consent, or proof of any crime,” said Shorge Kenneth Sato, an attorney for the group. “Information about who they have as guests, where they live, how much they paid, how long they stayed.”
“All that information is private. Government has no business knowing that,” he said.
Paradoxically, at the same time that hosts are suing the city over the privacy intrusions involved in the new law, Airbnb is at the same time touting the set-up in Chicago as a model of its new method of working with cities. That statement might well raise concerns for many.
During a press call hosted by Airbnb, the company’s global head of public policy, Chris Lehane, pointed to Chicago as a model demonstrating how the company intends to work with local governments to regulate home sharing.
Lehane said: “In Chicago, over the course of the summer, we came up with a series of policies that we worked through with the city and the mayor’s office there, that includes us in some things that we had not done in the past but which we think really represents a model and a step forward, in particular doing something which is called a path to registration system that allows us to help the city be able to understand what’s going on through a very easy, accessible registration system.”
Lehane said: “In Chicago, over the course of the summer, we came up with a series of policies that we worked through with the city and the mayor’s office there, that includes us in some things that we had not done in the past but which we think really represents a model and a step forward, in particular doing something which is called a path to registration system that allows us to help the city be able to understand what’s going on through a very easy, accessible registration system.”