Airbnb’s former chief trust officer resigned after just six months ‘over concerns about how much user data the company shares with China’
- Sean Joyce, who is a former FBI deputy director, abruptly resigned from his executive position at Airbnb a year ago after just six months on the job
- Sources told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that Joyce resigned because he became concerned over sharing data with China
- It came after China approached the travel company last summer asking for more ‘real-time data’ on its millions of users
- When he raised his concerns with company executives, co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk is alleged to have said: ‘We’re not here to promote American values’
- Airbnb has been telling users since at least 2016 that it shares data with China. The company also discussed it at length in its IPO filing this week
- An Airbnb spokesperson said the company clearly displays it data policies to guests and hosts
Sean Joyce, who is a former FBI deputy director, abruptly resigned from his executive position at Airbnb a year ago after just six months on the job
Airbnb’s former chief trust officer reportedly resigned last year over concerns about how much user data the company was sharing with China.
Sean Joyce, who is a former FBI deputy director, abruptly resigned from his executive position at Airbnb a year ago after just six months on the job.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that Joyce resigned because he became concerned over what he believed was a willingness from Airbnb to consider providing more user data after China requested it.
China approached the travel company last summer asking for more ‘real-time data’ on its millions of users.
Joyce, whose role at Airbnb involved protecting user safety, voiced his concerns at a meeting involving CEO Brian Chesky and co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk.
He told them that the data sharing could enable surveillance from the Chinese government, people familiar with the meeting said.
‘We’re not here to promote American values,’ Blecharczyk is said to have told Joyce, according to the sources.
Joyce resigned just weeks after the meeting, the sources said.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that Joyce resigned because he became concerned over what he believed was a willingness from Airbnb to consider providing more user data after China requested it
The sources also say Joyce was worried Airbnb wasn’t being transparent enough with its users on just how much data it was sharing with China, including phone numbers, emails and message between hosts and guests.
Airbnb has been telling users since at least 2016 that it shares data with China. The company also discussed it at length in its IPO filing this week.
The meeting is said to have occurred at a time when Airbnb was worried about losing business in China.
Joyce wouldn’t comment further to the Wall Street Journal other than to say he had a ‘difference in values’ with the company.
An Airbnb spokesperson said the company clearly displays it data policies to guests and hosts, and that those same policies that were in place prior to Joyce joining the company remain to this day.
‘We are committed to being transparent with our community, and clearly disclose our data policies to all of our hosts and guests by displaying a clear message to users when they are on the platform and through multiple other notifications,’ the spokesman said.
Joyce, whose role at Airbnb involved protecting user safety, voiced his concerns at a meeting involving CEO Brian Chesky (above) and co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk
In its IPO prospectus, Airbnb discussed sharing data with China because of the strict regulations the government has.
They noted that failure to comply could have serious impacts on its business in China.
‘As we disclose to our hosts and guests when they create or book a listing in China, we are subject to various requirements and requests from government agencies to share information on users who use or offer accommodation services through our platform in China,’ the company said.
‘Failure to comply with such requests or other requirements as interpreted by government agencies may lead to impairment or disruption to our business and operations, including failing to obtain or losing the necessary licenses to operate in China, the blocking of our platform and services in China, and/or enforcement action against our host community, corporate entities or officers.
‘Our failure to comply with such requests or requirements, or conversely our compliance with such requests or requirements, could materially adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition.’
The company also noted that any significant deterioration in US-China relations could also impact its business.