After coming under fire for their hosts being able to deny renters for discriminatory purposes, Airbnb has adopted new rules to fight against discrimination.
Criticism began being lodged at Airbnb with a Harvard University study and grew as firsthand accounts of discrimination from Airbnb guests, eventually culminating in a lawsuit.
For those who may not know, Airbnb is a short-term rental website that allows people to sign up to be hosts to those looking for a place to stay temporarily. Hosts can rent out their homes, condos, campsites, rooms or whatever they have available while setting their own pricing and rules.
The company moved quickly to address the concerns and controversy surrounding them. They conducted a full-length review about how discrimination might permeate into the site and hired advisers, which includes former United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., to help them construct anti-bias policies.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, has been very forthcoming and apologetic in the matter, stating that the company needed to do better.
The result of their investigation was put into action. Airbnb hosts now have to agree to a “community commitment” starting on Nov. 1 that states they must adhere to a nondiscrimination policy. The company added that it would attempt to reduce the commonness of user photos, which display things like race and gender, and might play a part in discriminatory practices.
These motions were outlined in a 32-page report that now serves as a blueprint for how the company plans to fight discrimination on the site. A team of experts has also been hired to study host behavior and help identify discrimination.
“Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them,” Mr. Chesky wrote in a message to Airbnb users and hosts that accompanied the report. “Unfortunately, we have been slow to address these problems, and for this I am sorry.”
