diff --git a/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py b/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
index 604c2a565ec5..86fbe2747d5e 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/client/v1/room.py
@@ -72,8 +72,6 @@ def on_POST(self, request):
 
     def get_room_config(self, request):
         user_supplied_config = parse_json_object_from_request(request)
-        # default visibility
-        user_supplied_config.setdefault("visibility", "public")
         return user_supplied_config
 
     def on_OPTIONS(self, request):