Airbnb criticizes Hawaii over subpoena attempt of records

HONOLULU — Airbnb is pushing back against Hawaii’s attempt to find tax delinquents by subpoenaing 10 years’ worth of invoices, receipts and other records from the home-sharing platform’s island hosts, calling it an unprecedented, “massive intrusion” that violates state and federal law.

The company said in a state Circuit Court filing Wednesday that the request would cover detailed, private data from about 16,000 people. The state has failed to show why it should be allowed to “invade the privacy rights of Airbnb and its users on this massive scale,” the company said.

It’s the latest clash between the San Franciscobased company and local governments. In New York, a U.S. judge last month shelved a city law that would have required homesharing platforms to reveal hosts’ names and other information. New York City established the law so it could crack down on illegal listings and impose fines.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, in issuing a preliminary injunction, ruled that forcing homesharing platforms to reveal a “breathtaking” amount of information about their businesses seemed unconstitutional.

In the Hawaii case, Airbnb argued that allowing the subpoena would be equivalent to authorizing the state to go door-to-door in search of people violating the law — something that is unconstitutional.