Airbnb says it may share your information with Chinese authorities without telling you

The American company says it is making the policy change in order to comply with local laws and regulations

Airbnb has notified its hosts in China that, starting tomorrow, their information may be sent to the Chinese government without notice.

In an announcement that has been making the rounds online, the San Francisco-based short-term rental platform told its users that it must comply with local laws and regulations, and operate in a way “similar to other hospitality companies that do business in China.”

Paul Mozur of the New York Times notes that, in fact, Airbnb has already been storing user data in China and sharing it with the government since December 2016, when the company moved its data storage to the country to comply with Chinese regulations. This data includes both listing info and messages exchanged between hosts and guests.

The only difference now is that Airbnb may not tell you that it has shared your information with Chinese authorities.

Within 24 hours of arriving in China, foreigners must register with police or with the hotel that they are staying at, a regulation that Airbnb hosts/users have been known to disregard.

Twice in the past year, Airbnb has been forced to shut down bookings in Beijing for weeks during sensitive political events — first during the 19th Party Congress last October and again for this month’s Two Sessions.

With already strong domestic competitors like Tujia, Airbnb is in a tough spot in China after entering the market a few years late. Hoping to really take off in the Middle Kingdom, last March, the company unveiled a brand-new Chinese name — 爱彼迎 (Àibǐyíng) — which was widely panned by netizens.