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Airbnb To Share Information With Authorities On Guests In China (gizmodo.co.uk)
Airbnb has notified users in China that, as required by law, their information will soon be automatically logged with the government. Bloomberg reports: This week, it sent an email to hosts declaring it may disclose their information at any time -- those with concerns were given a link to deactivate their listing. Airbnb -- which had previously resisted comparisons to what it calls the hotel cartel -- is abiding by Chinese regulations governing the lodging industry. Hotels there keep tabs on guests and are obliged to report their information to the authorities -- which in turn becomes a useful tool for surveillance. Airbnb's approach automates the process, so travelers' data is directly transmitted to the government.
"Like all businesses operating in China, Airbnb China must comply with local laws and regulations," said Airbnb spokesman Jake Wilczynski. "The information we collect is similar to information hotels in China have collected for decades." Previously, the onus was mostly on Airbnb hosts to submit passport and other required traveler information. The company said in its email to hosts that it will comply with requests from authorities for information when asked.
"Like all businesses operating in China, Airbnb China must comply with local laws and regulations," said Airbnb spokesman Jake Wilczynski. "The information we collect is similar to information hotels in China have collected for decades." Previously, the onus was mostly on Airbnb hosts to submit passport and other required traveler information. The company said in its email to hosts that it will comply with requests from authorities for information when asked.
The Chinese economy is currently growing at 7% per year. As long as that continues, there is no chance of an uprising. But if there is a hard crash, that could change quickly.
There is an undercurrent of discontent in China, where your social class is printed directly on your ID card, and the 80% in the "wrong" class are often deprived of access to medical care, public schools, housing, and even (during the Great Leap Forward) food. During the GLF, 99% of the 30 million deaths were peasants with "rural" hukous.
The big question is the loyalty of the PLA. During the 1989 protests, the army refused to move against the protesters, and replacement troops from the countryside had to be brought in. These farm boys had less empathy with the protesters who they saw as the spoiled children of the urban elite. There was some justification for this, since the protestors called for "democracy" but never once called for abolishing the hukou system ... since it worked for their benefit.
Since 1989, the PLA has dramatically changed. The 1991 American victory in Desert Storm was a shock to the Chinese military, forcing them to realize that massive numbers of soldiers were no match for modern technology. The PLA is much smaller today, much more professional, and the average soldier is more educated. So if protests got out of hand, events would be very different than in 1989.
Disclaimer: I am not Chinese, but I lived in Shanghai for several years, and my spouse is Chinese.