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As the earth retreats from American-hosted providers in a postal service-Snowden whisleblown world, I got an electronic mail from one of my favourite U.South. services, AirBnB. If y'all're not familiar, AirBnB allows yous to rent out an extra room in your home, or your entire identify, for one dark or equally long as you'd similar.

I read about it a few years agone, when an enterprising young woman in San Francisco claimed to make the equivalent of a salary from renting out her extra room.

As I travel a lot, I realized this would be a great way to offset my mortgage costs, so I put it up right away. It took some fourth dimension to realize what an appropriate cost was in my expanse, and I discovered I get well-nigh $30/night less during the week than on weekends.

This is generally a better alternative to Craigslist in my experience for several reasons: you can choose as long as y'all want at any given location, yous tin can conspicuously define a unique policy, and you get amazing insurance coverage you couldn't get elsewhere.

It wasn't until travelling with a partner a few years ago that I really started to utilise it to stay at the locations of other hosts. Nosotros got keys to our ain furnished place in Manhattan for $eighty/nighttime, when hotels are usually +$300/nighttime in the expanse. This offer is so disruptive to businesses, New York Metropolis has since banned residential short-term stays that are less than 30 days.

Years later, I'm writing this from a identify I establish on AirBnB, and my condo is rented out to an AirBnB guest. I've been perhaps AirBnB's greatest Canadian abet, at least until now.

I went to renew my stay at this beautiful little condo when I was told that AirBnB has partnered with some other American company, Jumio, and at present required a re-create of my government-issued identification.

Information technology's worth noting perhaps that my career has been effectually privacy and security, and and so this actually flustered me. After years of loyal service, when I've already provided AirBnB with access to my domicile address, phone number, and social media accounts, they've taken it a footstep farther and decided that wasn't enough.

The biggest claiming is, once my government ID touches U.S. soil, it is bound by the U.S. Patriot Act, and many U.S. government agencies can have access to information technology. It's also an unacceptable gamble to permit Jumio or any American third party provider, to hold my personal information, when they will likely be hacked.

I contacted AirBnB and asked them to reconsider. They insisted that the transfer of 1's authorities-issued ID to their new American partner was secure; and I responded that I didn't enquire about that. I have no dubiety the transfer of the information is relatively secure, that's exponentially easier than guaranteeing me that no American regime agency volition get access to my information on Jumio servers, or fifty-fifty that Jumio complies with Canadian privacy legislation.

They responded over again telling me that the transfer of the data is secure, and that if I had further questions I needed to contact Jumio. Why would I contact Jumio, an organisation I accept no business relationship with?

Well, tonight I decided I would accept a look at Jumio's privacy policy, and see what I would be signing upwards for if I chose to move forward with AirBnB:

Jumio may use the Personally-Identifying Data a user submits for whatever purposes related to Jumio's business, including, only non limited to providing you with Jumio's services and personalizing and improving those services for you.

What? If selling my passport photo and information generates revenue for Jumio, that is an adequate usage for them? At that place are several other obvious concerns. Basically, if Jumio feels like it, they can provide your data anyone they consider a partner or contractor.

Best practice in Canadian privacy for businesses is not to request any more information than is required to complete the business concern transaction. Best do for any non-American is to avert sending personal information unencrypted over the Internet or to anywhere on American soil.

Best do for privacy protecting users is to wait until AirBnB resolves this result before submitting your government-issued ID.

As for me? I worked out a bargain with my AirBnB host every bit they respect my concerns, and I'm now staying here with a private, non-AirBnB contract. I wonder if a privacy respecting culling will appear before AirBnB resolves this result.

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