Usually, we are somewhat reluctant when it comes to letting someone take a copy, picture or scan of our personal documents. And there’s a reason for such a behavior. Our ID comprises relevant and sensitive information about ourselves, either encoded in chip cards or in the form of numbers – Identity Number, Social Security Number, National Healthcare Number…
One can say that not much can be done with just a print or scan of a document, but the truth is that identity theft is a serious problem. Having someone using your personal data, impersonating you and carrying out activities (legal or not) as if it was you is certainly not a pleasant experience.
But wait, how dangerous this Airbnb Verified ID tool actually is?
According to their website, not dangerous at all. The provided information (your ID picture/scan) is encrypted and safely stored – of course we can always discuss this point – and not shared with any other community member. That means your host or other guests will not be able to see the document, and will only have access to the badge Airbnb gives you for completing the procedure. However, it is true that some major systems worldwide have already been attacked and therefore information leaks can occur. But let’s stay optimistic! At least we get to book that perfect apartment for our next vacations.
And for those that are wondering whether it is even legal to scan someone’s identity documents… It depends on the countries and on the situations. Portugal recently passed a law forbidding the reproduction of the identity card without the owner’s consent. Are we giving Airbnb consent to take a picture of our ID? Since we are holding the document in front of our laptop camera, I would answer yes to this question. But is Airbnb entitled to ask us for that scan in order to deliver us their service? That is theme for debate, and certainly requires a dive into national laws.
I recently heard about a case of identity theft on the radio. The man left his passport to be copied when checking in at a hotel in Turkey. Later on someone used his identity to rent out a house in the Netherlands. He had to prove in court that it was not him, and luckily the judge believed his testimony.
According to the following article, every year 600.000 Dutch citizens are a victim of identity fraud: http://www.bnr.nl/nieuws/economie/10310860/verwoede-strijd-tegen-gestolen-identiteit
More on this specific case:
http://www.1limburg.nl/namaak-kevin-goes-loopt-tegen-de-lamp
http://nos.nl/artikel/2109825-kevin-goes-liet-zijn-paspoort-kopieren-en-had-ineens-twee-huurhuizen.html
(all in Dutch unfortunately)
Regarding your post: Recently hackers have been targeting large websites such as Dropbox, tumblr, and LinkedIn. You would expect these commercial parties to keep your data secured, yet they failed. Who says Airbnb would be any different?
What I believe is interesting in the Airbnb case is: What happens when you upload an identity document? Does a human validate your ID and then deletes the copy? Or are the scans stored in a database accessible through a network? The latter would be prone to hackers.
Further reading:
http://allthingsd.com/20130430/airbnb-now-wants-to-check-your-government-id/
http://blogs.harvard.edu/doc/2013/05/28/lets-help-airbnb-rebuild-the-bridge-it-just-burned/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/airbnb-verified-id-things-know-bonny-chacko
Thanks for your comment Davey!
Regarding your last question: the information is stored on a database but also available to a limited number of Airbnb employees. They provide that information in a FAQ on their website.
Link here: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/453/is-verifying-my-id-secure
However, in my opinion the whole process should be more transparent, and the reasons why a picture of our ID needs to be uploaded should be clearly stated. I don’t remember having to do something similar in any other website, and I think that fact causes discomfort to many users.