Airbnb
- Your data trains their AI unless you switch it off in settings.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
Airbnb collects a lot, uses it for ads and AI (with a preference toggle).
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, IDs and selfies, payments, messages, location, device IDs, contacts, and partner data.
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Privacy policy
“Such as precise or approximate location determined from your IP address, mobile or other device’s GPS, or other information you disclose to us, depending on your device settings.”
Training
They use your data to run the platform, personalize it, advertise, and train and improve AI.
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Privacy policy
“This includes using AI technologies that we develop and improve using your personal information.”
Sharing
Other members, vendors, affiliates, building managers, insurers, and sometimes governments can get your data.
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Privacy policy
“We disclose personal information with affiliated and unaffiliated vendors or partners (including their vendors or partners) to help us run our business, provide services and products to users, including AI”
Kept
They keep it as long as they say they need it; reviews can stay public after you leave.
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Privacy policy
“We retain personal information for as long as needed or as permitted in light of the purpose(s) for which it was obtained and further processed and consistent with applicable law.”
Controls
You can change some info in account settings and turn off AI-improvement use in preferences.
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Privacy policy
“if you do not want Airbnb to use your personal information to develop and improve AI models that power certain features on Airbnb, you can set your preferences as described here.”
Fine print
U.S. they can change the rules with 30 days’ notice.
No exact line could be verified.
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Turn off use of your data to improve AI models
Account settings / privacy preferences described in the Privacy Policy (“set your preferences as described here”)
Update or limit profile and public-info sharing
Account settings; article “What info is shown on your profile”
Contact privacy with questions or rights requests
dpo@airbnb.com or Airbnb, Inc., Legal Privacy, 888 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA
If they change the U.S. reject the change in 30 days
Mail 888 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103.opt.out@airbnb.com
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They get a lasting right to use, change, and share what you post, even to promote Airbnb.
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Terms of service
“you grant Airbnb a non-exclusive, worldwide, , , and transferable license to access, use, store, copy, modify, prepare derivative works of, distribute, publish, transmit, stream, broadcast, and otherwise exploit”
For example, a photo you upload of a stay could be used in their ads after you delete your account.
You may have to cover their legal costs if something connected to your use leads to a claim.
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Terms of service
“you agree to release, defend (at Airbnb’s option), , and hold Airbnb (including Airbnb Payments, other affiliates, and their personnel) harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses”
For example, a dispute after a stay could leave you paying their lawyers as well as your own.
Your bookings, profile, and activity can be used to build and improve their AI unless you change preferences.
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Privacy policy
“This includes using AI technologies that we develop and improve using your personal information.”
For example, your search and message history could help train features that suggest listings.
They may create face data from your ID photo and selfie for verification.
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Privacy policy
“Such as facial recognition data derived from photos and identification documents you submit for verification, where offered and with your consent where required by applicable law.”
For example, a selfie you take to verify your ID can become facial recognition data on file.
People at Airbnb can read your messages, not only computers.
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Privacy policy
“Occasionally we may need to manually review communications, such as for investigations or customer support.”
For example, a chat with a host about a lockbox code could be read by a support agent.
They use your information to target and measure ads and promotions.
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Privacy policy
“show, personalize, measure, and improve our advertising,administer referral programs, rewards, surveys, sweepstakes, contests, or other promotional activities”
For example, after you search beach houses, you may see Airbnb ads on other sites.
Canceling does not take down reviews and posts others can still see.
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Privacy policy
“Personal information you have shared with other Members, such as Reviews and forum postings, may continue to be publicly visible on Airbnb, even after your Airbnb Account is canceled.”
For example, a review you left years ago can stay on a listing after you delete your account.
They do not promise the app, hosts, or listings will be safe or work as described.
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Terms of service
“The Airbnb Platform and all Content are provided “as is” of any kind and Airbnb (or its affiliates) disclaim all , whether express or implied.”
For example, if a listing is unsafe, these terms say they are not warranting that quality.
You can turn off use of your data to improve AI models in preferences.
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Privacy policy
“if you do not want Airbnb to use your personal information to develop and improve AI models that power certain features on Airbnb, you can set your preferences as described here.”
For example, you can open privacy preferences and switch off AI model improvement.
Big privacy-policy changes should come with 30 days’ email notice.
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Privacy policy
“In case of material changes, we will also provide you with notice of the modification by email at least thirty (30) days before the effective date.”
For example, if they expand how they use AI, they say they will email you a month ahead.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- precise geolocation
- Your exact position, usually from GPS, often accurate to within a few metres. For example, an app can tell not just your city but which building you are in right now.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- sublicensable
- The company can pass its rights over your content on to other companies without asking you. For example, an app can let an advertiser or a partner reuse your video under the licence you gave.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- biometric
- Measurements of your body that identify you, like your face, fingerprint or voice. For example, a selfie used to unlock the app or a voice recording matched to you.
- consent
- Your clear agreement to something, given by an action like ticking a box or tapping Accept. For example, a pop-up asking if the app may use your location is asking for consent.
- as is
- You get the service in whatever state it is in, with no promise that it works or will keep working. For example, if the app deletes your photos by mistake, it is not promising to fix that or pay you back.
How we got here · grade D · score 35/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 0 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than bookings need: precise location, ad and device IDs, imported contacts, IDs and selfies, and data from other companies.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They may keep facial recognition data from ID photos and selfies, and they may keep call recordings and transcripts.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
They develop and improve AI with your personal information, and you can turn that off in preferences.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
They scan messages and uploads, and people may manually review communications for investigations or support. No opt-out is described.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They personalize and measure advertising, collect advertising identifiers, and use cookies and similar technologies.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with vendors, affiliates, other members, building management, and partners. Some public-profile sharing can be turned off in settings.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Outside Europe, you grant a perpetual, sublicensable license to use and exploit your content to provide and promote the platform.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
They keep data as long as they say they need it. You can update some info in settings; residual copies and public reviews can remain.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They infer preferences, recommendations, and interests from your activity. The policy does not describe viewing or editing a memory store.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe administrative, technical, and physical security, plus encryption and de-identification when using data for AI.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be 18 or older to register. The documents do not describe extra age checks.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The policy is dated and they promise 30 days’ email notice for material changes, but retention is described only as “as long as needed.”
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may close your account for any reason with 30 days’ email notice, or immediately for breach. They do not describe exporting your data first.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The platform is “as is,” liability is capped, and you agree to indemnify Airbnb for claims tied to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
They charge service fees that are generally non-refundable. They say they will notice fee changes before they apply.
The privacy policy is 7,845 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 23.6); the terms are 39,056 words at a college graduate level.
