Verify ID now required for all travelers?

[Ramona11]

Has anyone else run up against a requirement to use Verify ID no matter who you are booking with? For security reasons I do not with to keep my ocs on file and link my airbnb profile with my fb page. So I have not been able to book with any hosts now, and the hosts are not the ones imposing the requirement. as a Super Host myself, I think this is going to really hurt my business. Anyone know anything? Thanks!

[Jeff498]

Sounds like you are blaming the club after all for the theft of your goods. You could have chosen not to use that club for the lack of security. For that same reason I no longer use Airbnb, because they cannot guarantee the security of my personal information. The reality is, websites get hacked—Yahoo, Equifax, Facebook, Sony, and many others have all taken hits. And if your passport gets scooped up, bye bye identity. Airbnb needs to find another way to ID their users.

[Maky1]

Did the Gym require you to upload a picture of your identity on cyberspace and was the wallet stolen from cyber space? Oranges and apples!!!

[Adam771]

Dear Airbnb, In the last week the ICO has fined British Airways £183m and Marriott £100m for data breaches. As a fairly infrequent Airbnb user I have just been asked to upload my passport and/or driving licence details. It's the quickest way to ID theft. You cannot give a cast-iron guarantee that these details would be secure.  There's no way I am going to do that and I think you need to reassess this policy. In the meantime, I've cancelled the booking and am looking elsewhere and probably closing my Airbnb account. We'll probably have to stay in a hotel at a higher cost, but that doesn't bother me. A hotel will accept a reservation without this crazy system. Thanks, but no thanks. Adam

[Catherine1766]

I have used airbnb on several occasions but now they want a photo of my ID I will no longer use them. I am very uncomfortable with that being out in the ether

[Anna2408]

This is horrible experience. My husband and I spent 3 hours of our lives to rent a house on AIRbnb. Guess what. I sent my ID, but my computer has no camera, they need my photo taken through the application, and since I've changed my phone number 5 years ago and registered to Airbnb 7 years ago, it can't process my request since my phone number hasn't been registered for the past 14 days. SERIUOSLY?!!! Now they have my photo ID and credit card number I gave up, and booked same house on VRBO, and it took me 5 MINUTES to do it, not even photo needed. This is ourageous! 

[Paul1932]

 yes I have run into this also, I suggested  to them they  have Superhost you should have Superguest and by pass this like a precheck passenger for a airplane. Personally I do not want them having my Gov ID,  a credit card like anyone else is sufficient. We know how good these companies are with keeping our information safe. I will stop using air bnb and I have used them for a few years now.  I am disappointed in this move . Air bnb needs four things to function a happy host and homes and a happy guest and spending our money . Right now I am not happy and  I can spend my money elsewhere 

[Assaf7]

If you are uploading your passport photo online with all the info on it as is you are MAD!
I will not use airbnb ever until this requirement is removed.

Airbnb have my phone number, email and credit card.

Also, hosts can ask to see ID on arrival as well as rate the guests.

That surely is enough as it was until now.

I suspect foul play on behalf of airbnb, and fell they ask this for other reasons.
like targeting, selling private data and so on, which is why I am even more hesitant about airbnb now.

Hosts who don't see this as a problem are only hurting them selfs at the end.

Shame, but bye bye airbnb... 

[Patricia2110]

I have had countless fraud issues to deal with over the years with just my credit cards. The last thing I'm going to do is serve up a copy of my photo I.D. (passport of all things) to have floating around online.   I am not required to upload a photo I.D. to book a flight online with an airline so why should I have to upload my very personal info to book a place to stay? Just like at the airport, I am not going to board the plane without an I.D.  I understand that at some point in the process of staying in someone's home I need to show an I.D. and verify who I am. Online is not the place. Bye Airbnb 😞

[Mac38]

I'm with everyone here who says you would be nuts to hand Airbnb your passport or drivers licence, it would be insane to do this.  There is no earthly reason why Airbnb need this information for security so I assume they have other undisclosed reasons for wanting it.  From a commercial view point this policy sounds like suicide because 'when' they get hacked and they will get hacked, it will not be the embarasment of loosing peoples credit card (which can easily be replaced) details but their whole identity, that will be lights out for Airbnb I should think.

I will be deleting my account, bye Airbnb

PS, either they do not monitor this forum or they just dont care

[Marian180]

Small point - The photo ID in no way proves a guest is who they say they are.  I could easily steal a licence and set up an airbnb as that person.  It's silly, unnecessary, invasive of privacy and doesn't achieve its stated purpose.

To Airbnb:    I don't mind showing my id when I arrive - they can check that my face is the same as the one on the ID.  But no copies.  Quite apart from the fact that you have no policy around its use (and possibly include it in database information sold) I have no idea of your level of tech security of data, so even if you don't sell it, there's malware, rogue employees etc etc.  I've gone elsewhere.

[Macia0]

I got caught in the Airbnb snare this summer. I had rented through them once before and got good reviews, no gov. id required. This time, at the very last step of the booking no less, they asked for a government id - driver license, front and back, or passport. I felt somewhat hijacked. I contacted the host and she, it turned out, was not the one demanding it. She actually sent Air an email to say I was "pre approved". I went through the process again and they still demanded the gov. id. So this was an Airbnb request in this case and not from the host. 

I subsequently went online to see what's what. Turns out, Airbnb uses a third party as its "security" platform ( it was Jumio but they got taken over by a private equity firm in 2014, I believe. If that doesn't inspire confidence!!!)  I took a look at both Air's and Jumio's privacy policy - any vestige of confidence left went right out the window.  They appear to be able to share your information as they see fit. Never again. I'll be using VBRO, Homeaway or Booking.com - unless they, too, become evil.

[Patrick1776]

How did you contact the host? It seems that airbnb now block all access to the host, including inquiry messages, until their demand to provide personal details are met. I'm out!

[Bob389]

Never mind.

[Jonathan1150]

This is done at the vast majority of hotels if you are travelling internationally. The host never gets a copy of the ID. To be honest folks, you can't protect yourself from fraud. Credit cards can be created using only your name and DOB. The only thing someone would get from the license is the number and your address however sending a fraudulently created credit card to the persons actual home address would defeat the purpose. They also can't do anything with your real photo. In order to recreate the license or any other government document, they would need pictures of both sides of the identification. This is giving hosts and guests peace of mind that they are dealing with who they say they are dealing with. If someone wants to hack you, there are a million other way easier ways to do it than to use malware on air bnb. Most everyone has a FB account and the reality that every piece of information anyone would ever need, you post online every day. 

[Kevin1322]

@Jonathan1150  That is the *correct* answer ✔