AirBnB as Online Intermediary?

Tuesday I posted about tort law and the sharing economy, and today I want to continue with the sharing economy theme by discussing an AirBnB lawsuit against San Francisco. 

A city ordinance was passed requiring short-term rental hosts to register with the city. One of the provisions allows the city to fine AirBnB and similar platforms if unregistered hosts rent places through the site. AirBnB is challenging the law on numerous grounds, including under the First Amendment, Stored Communication Act, and the Communication Decency Act (CDA). It's the CDA issue that some cyberlaw scholars are watching closely. 

Section 230 of the CDA creates immunity for online intermediaries against liability for the content others post. This immunity has allowed the internet as we know it to flourish as a marketplace of ideas and haven for free speech. Without it, websites would police content and censor heavily to mitigate their liability risk. But the CDA is over 20 years old and its use has clearly expanded beyond its original purpose, which really contemplated defamatory comments on news sites or similar circumstances. 

Now, AirBnB is using CDA immunity to argue that the San Francisco ordinance violates federal law by holding AirBnB accountable for the actions of hosts. Essentially, AirBnB says it's just an online intermediary and it can't be on the hook for its users' illegal activity. While the CDA is meant to immunize online intermediaries for liability for the actions of its users, its provisions are not absolute. Some websites have lost arguments about CDA immunity because they helped create or develop content, rather than merely serve as a passive platform for it. 

Last month a federal court in San Francisco did not agree with AirBnB and denied its motion for a preliminary injunction, noting that the ordinance is not limiting AirBnB's ability to publish user content. Instead, the ordinance's penalties kick in when AirBnB collects fees for an illegal rental. For AirBnB, losing its preliminary injunction motion is probably quite concerning. CDA immunity is not clear cut because AirBnB imposes requirements on hosts, profits from each individual transaction, and processes the payments. Like other sharing economy companies, its role expands beyond that of a neutral listing platform, perhaps even into the realm of booking agent or joint venture. 

It's important to note that CDA immunity is crucial for protecting our freedom online, and attempts to chisel away at it should be approached with great skepticism. But as we continue to blur the lines between real-world transactions and online activity, perhaps a more nuanced definition for "online intermediary" is needed in order to save Section 230 from dilution. In the meantime, a lot is at stake for AirBnB, as other cities contemplate similar ways to deal with a loosely regulated ad-hoc rental market.