Airbnb Goes Big Brother Using AI Facial Recognition for Guests via 3rd Party Vendor...

[Liz121]

This may not be the best place to post this, but I wanted to fax my ID in as opposed to upload my passport and/or drivers license into the internet for Airbnb to store.  I have been a victim of identity theft in the past and will never do something like that again.  However, Airbnb offers no faxing option for verification of guests.  This is not right but they absolutely refused.  It turns out they are utilizing a 3rd party for all the verifications which utilizes face AI recognition technology.  SUPER SCARY!!!  I am not a gen-x-er and am not used to posting everything about myself online for the whole world let alone freely giving away my vital informtation to a 3rd party of which I still don't know the name of to "verify" me  It is just a matter of time before they or Airbnb or both are hacked and I do not wish to go through again what I did in the past on this.  The only alternative Airbnb offered me was to book elswhere and that's exactly what I did.  Even though I'm a Super Host with Airbnb, because of their unreasonable AI face authentication policy with no alternative such as faxing, I left Airbnb to book as a guest on VRBO!!!  They ask for no such intrusion and allow you to authenticate in much less obtrusive ways such as a gmail address or through FB.  If anyone know where I can post this comment/complaint other than this host forum (I would think hosts don't mind, it's the guests who are concered about AI facial recognition that would really care - except I'm sure they have no idea Airbnb is utilizing AI facial recognition from a 3rd party vendor) please let me know a more appropriate place to post this so Airbnb can read it and give serious consideration to allowing for faxing in of identity for verification so they retain as many guests as possible.  Thanks so much, Liz

[Emiel1]

@Liz121

It is a serious problem you are addressing here. But faxing is an outdated type of communication. So alternatives must be brought in to protect privacy.

best regards, Emiel

[Liz121]

Hi Emiel,

Yes, a VERY serious problem!!!  I bet not one guest knows they are being AI-ed through facial recongition via a 3rd party outside of Airbnb.  I think it should be illegal to use biometric data on people without their express written consent!

As far as faxing being an outdated type of communication, I assume this is why they are donig AI biometric data collecting and facial recngition - because it is new and not out of date.  Yet it is extremely violating and also very risky for the custoemr as it is only a matter of time beofre the 3rd party or Airbnb itself are hacked with all this juicy biometric identifcation being sent right over the internet!!!  I would take the "old outdated" but 1000% safer alternative of faxing ID in over uploading onto the internet to a 3rd party vendor any day of the week!!!  And the whole point is not so that we are not "out of date" but so that our rights are protected in addition to our identity and safety!!!  This is an extremely risky situatino Airbnb is forcing their guests to be in.  I'm surpised to many people willingly do it, but maybe because the average age of an Airbnb user is much younger than me.  Again I am no gen-ex-er and I know they are much more public and trusting of online sources with their personal data, but also they are much mroe vulnerable because of that mind set.  It is also rife for abuse - handing over their biomteric so freely merely becaue a company asks them for it.  NO THANK YOU!!!  I hope Airbnb allows for a faxing alternative or some other kind of alternative, but for now I have sigend up with VRBO and booked my first trip with them!!  It's actually a pretty cool site!!  Who knows, I may even list with them - nd of course Airbnb.

[Sameera3]

AirBnB thinks they are Stalin ruling Russia. Does AirBnB really think they are hack proof? Uber thought the same thing. They were hacked, and held ransom for $100,000. The greatest loss was peoples private data. Sadly, Uber didn't even bother to tell the public until it leaked and they were forced to admit they got hacked. I think uploading facial recognition quality photos are VERY DANGEROUS, AND VERY RUDE OF AIRBNB. We've spent over $10,000 USD is AirBnB over the last 2.5 years, but now this is THE END OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. 

[David3517]

So we did put a property on airbnb but then found that vrbo was a better match, so we canceled the airbnb listing.  But this removed our entire account, more than 8 years of great reviews, and we had to start over by creating a new account. This took a while with copies of our passports, driver's licence (front and back) and no less than six photos before they had a match, that it really was me.  So now they have a lot of personal information, credit cards, all of which will be treated very carefully.  Not!  They can be hacked like anyone else.  This is just the world we live in.  I would welcome an alternative to airbnb.

[Sharon1536]

Thank you all for posting your comments here, they have been very helpful. I decided to google this topic when Airbnb asked me out of the blue to send them a digital photo so they could verify my identity. What!!?? I have been operating an Airbnb host account for over five years. I'm not intending to comply with their request. When I first opened the account I sent a copy of my passport and other id which I don't recall now. The saving grace is that the passport has since been renewed and I suspect the other id, such as credit cards have likely also been reissued, so I'm feeling somewhat protected from hackers. But maybe not......

[Helen744]

@Liz121 so how do you verify your gusts IDs exactly  Mostly they would not be using or even have acess to fax machines I hazard  . I would be a little more circumspect I think as Airbnb may check ids as  we all  hope and expect, but do not pass them on to hosts,which is why we have to ask for them . Stealing someones identity usually involves criminals and they are very good at this although I have not heard so much about it lately.I have not heard of anyone on airbnb stealing guests identities maybe you have ? Some guests assume if we see their liscences or passports then we are automatically trying to help out our personal criminal gangs . This is absurd in the extreme . I realise that you have PtSD from your experiences and we would all like to know how it happened but I assume it was not through Airbnb. The thing about trauma is it can be passed on without you being aware.