VRMA Administrator
Airbnb has won a court ruling that quashes an order from British Columbia’s (BC) privacy commissioner that would have identified hosts and their home addresses in Vancouver. The BC Supreme Court ruling released Wednesday says the Information and Privacy Commissioner erred when it ordered the City of Vancouver to release the information about hosts who hold short-term rental (STR) licenses without notifying them. According to the ruling, both the City of Vancouver and Airbnb had opposed releasing the records to an unnamed “John Doe” party, claiming the information could be used to harm the property owners. The judge’s decision says the privacy commissioner incorrectly classified home addresses as business information rather than personal information since Airbnb hosts run home-based businesses in their principal residences. The court ruled that when coupled with an STR license holder’s name, revelation of a home address could lead to the discovery of a “treasure trove” of personal information.
CBC News (Canada) (07/06/23)
