Does Airbnb collect my location data?

Yes, Airbnb collects precise or approximate location via IP address, GPS, or other device signals, even when the app is inactive if enabled.

What personal data does Airbnb collect from my profile and bookings?

Airbnb collects contact details, profile info, government IDs, payment and transaction data, booking history, messages, photos, and reviews.

How does Airbnb use my data for personalization and advertising?

Airbnb infers preferences from searches and bookings to personalize recommendations and show tailored ads and promotions with third‑party partners.

Who does Airbnb share my data with and why?

Airbnb shares data with Airbnb affiliates, payment processors, service providers, analytics and advertising partners, and to comply with legal requests.

How long does Airbnb retain my personal information?

Airbnb’s Privacy Policy includes a Retention section, but public excerpts do not list universal timelines; see Section 10 for details.

Does Airbnb profile or use my data for targeted ads and inferences?

Yes, Airbnb builds inferences about preferences and interests for personalization and ad targeting based on platform activity and profile data.

What tracking methods does Airbnb explicitly use (cookies, pixels, beacons)?

Airbnb explicitly references Cookies and similar technologies and points to its Cookie Policy for detailed tracking disclosures.

How can I opt out of Airbnb marketing or arbitration changes?

Marketing opt-outs are handled via account or email settings (see Privacy/Marketing controls); arbitration amendments can be opted out per Terms instructions.

How do I delete my Airbnb account and data?

You may delete your Airbnb account via account settings or by contacting Airbnb; Terms confirm deletion as a user option.

Does Airbnb transfer my data internationally and is it secure?

Yes, Airbnb operates global contracting entities and transfers data cross‑border; the policy references security measures and international entity assignments.

What Data Does Airbnb Collect? Privacy Policy Breakdown

Quick Summary

What They Collect: Contact, ID documents, payments, messages, photos, device IDs, geolocation, and background-check data.
How They Use & Share It: To provide bookings, personalize services, improve AI, detect fraud, and share with affiliates, payments, analytics, and advertisers.
Your Rights: Delete account, access data (Business Hosts), challenge automated decisions, and opt out of arbitration amendments.

Why You Should Care About Airbnb's Privacy Practices

Airbnb collects high-risk personal data including government IDs, facial biometrics, messages, and precise geolocation, increasing identity and privacy risks.
Automated scanning and AI use of communications and images can lead to profiling, moderation errors, or false safety actions affecting your account and bookings.
Host and Business Host access to guest data means your personal info may be widely available within the platform and distributed through affiliate channels.
Mandatory arbitration and class-action waivers limit legal recourse if you’re harmed by data misuse or platform decisions, affecting consumer protections.

Why High Exposure?

The policy collects extensive sensitive data including IDs, biometrics, messages, geolocation, and financial details, expanding privacy exposure.

Airbnb shares and processes data with many partners (payments, analytics, advertisers, affiliates) and enables host access to guest data.

The policy explicitly uses personal information to develop and improve AI and scans images/messages for enforcement and safety purposes.

Terms include a mandatory arbitration and class‑action waiver, limiting legal remedies for many users and concentrating dispute resolution.

Learn more about our methodology →

Privacy Highlights

What They Collect

Account information (name, email, phone, postal address, date of birth, profile photo)
Identity information (government ID images, passport, tax ID, driving license, selfie for verification)
Payment information (credit card, payment account, bank account, PayPal email, IBAN, billing postcode)
User content and files (photos, videos, reviews, messages, listings)
Seller/financial data for Hosts (business name, business tax ID, registration documents, insurance and license information)

How They Share Data

Business affiliates and subsidiaries / Corporate Affiliates (Airbnb Payments and other Airbnb entities)
Service providers (payments, hosting, customer support, background screening and license verification providers)
Analytics and measurement partners (analytics, product research, ad measurement referenced)
Advertising partners and third‑party marketing partners (for personalized ads and promotions)

Data Retention

Policy includes a Retention section but the provided excerpts do not specify universal retention periods; retention details are referenced in Section 10 of the Privacy Policy.

Your Rights

Delete account (you may delete your account; terms describe account deletion)
Access to data (Business Hosts have dashboard access and the Privacy Policy explains how to access data rights)
Challenge automated decisions (you can contact Airbnb to challenge restrictions or decisions based on automated processes)
Opt-out of arbitration/amendment opt-out (procedures to opt out of arbitration amendments are provided)

Detailed Analysis

Concerning Practices

Automated scanning and analysis of communications and images (messages and images are scanned for illegal or disallowed content)
AI training and model development using personal information (policy states they develop and improve AI using personal information)
Behavioral profiling and personalization for advertising (inferring preferences and using data to personalize ads)
Mandatory arbitration and class‑action waiver in Terms of Service (arbitration and no-class-action provisions are included)
International / cross-border data transfers and multiple contracting entities (documents show cross-border entity assignments)
Business Host access to guest personal data (hosts and business-host dashboards expose guest data for Listings)
Non-user data collection (data collected even if you haven't created an account; address book imports and referrals can include non-users)
Retention practices not fully detailed in excerpts (policy includes a Retention section but specific universal timelines are not shown)

Personal Data Types

Account information (name, email, phone, postal address, date of birth, profile photo) Identity information (government ID images, passport, tax ID, driving license, selfie for verification) Payment information (credit card, payment account, bank account, PayPal email, IBAN, billing postcode) User content and files (photos, videos, reviews, messages, listings) Seller/financial data for Hosts (business name, business tax ID, registration documents, insurance and license information) Demographic information and preferences (gender, language, hometown, education, dietary/physical preferences) Feedback data (reviews, ratings, survey responses) Support data (call recordings, transcripts, chat logs, support messages) Contact sync data (imported or manually entered address book contacts and referrals/co-travelers) Linked account data (information from Google, Facebook, WeChat or other third-party login/connect services) Device and technical information (device and advertising identifiers, hardware/software info, crash data, read receipts) Geolocation information (precise/approximate location from IP, GPS, device signals) Service usage and website usage data (searches, bookings, pages viewed, features used, access dates/times) Log and event data (device event info, smart lock logs, event information) Biometric information (facial recognition data derived from photos and ID documents for verification, where offered/consented) Information about others (payment instrument or contact information of co-travelers provided by you)

Tracking Methods

Cookies and similar technologies (explicitly referenced; see Cookie Policy)

Third Parties

Business affiliates and subsidiaries / Corporate Affiliates (Airbnb Payments and other Airbnb entities) Service providers (payments, hosting, customer support, background screening and license verification providers) Analytics and measurement partners (analytics, product research, ad measurement referenced) Advertising partners and third‑party marketing partners (for personalized ads and promotions) Third‑party app/integration developers and connections (Google, Facebook, WeChat integrations; smart lock integrations) Government authorities and law enforcement (disclosures to comply with legal requests and report violations)

User Controls

Delete account (you may delete your account; terms describe account deletion) Access to data (Business Hosts have dashboard access and the Privacy Policy explains how to access data rights) Challenge automated decisions (you can contact Airbnb to challenge restrictions or decisions based on automated processes) Opt-out of arbitration/amendment opt-out (procedures to opt out of arbitration amendments are provided) Cookie preferences (controls referenced via the Cookie Policy and related disclosures)

Airbnb Privacy Summary