Airbnb Inc. announced that it will take down at least 2,000 New York listings deemed illegal by state legislators.
The homestay service provider, which allows residents to rent out their abodes for nightly, weekly, or monthly rates, explained that the affected hosts can still finish their existing bookings, but they can't accept any new guests. The process of taking down these listings started few months ago, according to Airbnb officials.
"These hosts weren't making their neighborhood stronger and they weren't delivering the kind of hospitality our guests expect and deserve," Airbnb head of public policy David Hantman wrote in a blog post. "In some cases, they were making communities worse, not better. We took a hard look at our community in New York to identify these hosts and we took action."
The announcement of the removal of these listings was made just one day before Airbnb planned to attend a hearing at the New York State Supreme Court. The case concerns the use and distribution of customer data submitted by the hosts and guests of the company. The complaint was first filed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in October 2013 - in it, he requested a subpoena that required the company produce at least three years' worth of data gathered from the hosts, CNET reports.
Since the subpoena was approved, Airbnb confirmed that they will do their best to cooperate with the lawmakers in settling the problem. Part of the case aims to help the state identify illegal hotel operators, as well as slumlords.
Hantman stressed in his blog post just how much everyone at the Airbnb company cared about the privacy of their hosts, as well as their guests. He also commented that the case affecting thousands of honest New York hosts who wanted to rent out their homes could be a waste of time and resources.
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