Airbnb has announced new measures to combat discrimination following a number of complaints and reports about racism, homophobia and sexism from hosts.
A December 2015 study by Harvard Business School found "requests from guests with distinctively African-American names are roughly 16 per cent less likely to be accepted". Even those who do secure bookings face external discrimination, as in the case of Stefan Grant, who had police called when neighbours suspected he and his friends were robbing the house they had rented.
It's not only racist incidents that have plagued the service though. As recently as June this year, TV writer and producer Shadi Petosky was reportedly declined a booking after disclosing she was transgender, while in July, Buddy Fisher was then denied accomodation for being gay.
Even though some cases, such as Fisher's, result in the discriminating host having their listing removed by Airbnb for violating its existing non-discrimination policy, an increasingly vocal segment of users have been claiming the service hasn't done enough to ensure a fair and equal booking experience. The business has since taken steps to address these concerns. In June it announced a review into "every aspect of the Airbnb platform" to fight bias and discrimination.
The report was headed by Laura Murphy, former head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington D.C. Legislative Office. The report consulted hosts, guests who have been victims of discrimination, civil rights organisations, and elected and appointed US officals, investigating how the service could be improved to prevent further discrimination. The final report can be read here.
Murphy says in the report that Airbnb founder Brian Chesky was "forthright in admitting his company was slow to address these problems", and that while Chesky and co-founders Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk "started Airbnb in 2008 with the best of intentions" they were "not fully conscious of racial bias when they designed the platform." The site has since become a major player in the sharing economy.
In response, Airbnb has revealed a new 'Community Commitment'. In a letter being emailed to users and hosted on Airbnb's official blog, Chesky writes that beginning November 1, all users - hosts and guests alike - "must agree to a stronger, more detailed nondiscrimination policy."
The policy is refreshing in its forthrightness. Without resorting to legalese, it clearly expresses: "We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you travel, you should be able to belong in the Airbnb community. By joining this community, you commit to treat all fellow members of this community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age, with respect, and without judgement or bias."
Chesky has also outlined a new failsafe for guests who may feel they have been discriminated against. Called 'Open Doors', it will see Airbnb "find that Guest a similar place to stay if one is available on Airbnb, or if not, we will find them an alternative accommodation elsewhere." This program will also apply retroactively, and guests will be offered assistance on future bookings.
Airbnb says it will additionally work to increase the availability of Instant Book accomodation - rooms or apartments where the owner doesn't need to accept the booking personally, a process which can lead to discrimination. Anti-bias training will also be offered to the community.
Chesky adds, "these steps are just the beginning, not the end, of our efforts to combat bias and discrimination."
Whether these measures work in practise remains, of course, to be seen. The underlying issue is that many hosts are renting out rooms in their own private homes, rather than being employees of Airbnb. That makes combating biases particularly tricky, especially on a global level.
WIRED contacted Airbnb for additional comment on its anti-discrimination efforts, but a press representative said: "Sadly we don't have anyone available to speak".
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
