Ireland: Announced DPC investigation into Airbnb over alleged unlawful data collection

On 4 March 2022, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) initiated an investigation into Airbnb following a complaint that the company had illicitly requested a copy of the complainant's identification (ID) to validate their identity. This request stood out as it had not been a standard procedure for Airbnb in the past. The complainant further argued that this practice contradicted the principles of data minimisation, and Airbnb's actions also deviated from the standards of transparency and information provision. The complainant's initial attempts to verify their identity had been unsuccessful, as the ID furnished did not align with Airbnb's stipulated criteria.