Airbnb Launches New Policies to Fight Discrimination

Room-sharing company Airbnb has announced new anti-discrimination policies to promote inclusiveness after users have complained about being discriminated against based on race and other factors.

In a report released by the company Thursday, Airbnb outlined a variety of steps it will be taking to prevent discrimination. Assembling an anti-bias team, reducing the prominence of photos of guests and accelerating the use of instant bookings, which allows users to book a room without approval, are some of the steps highlighted in the 32-page report. Through a new policy called "Open Doors," Airbnb said it will ensure that a guest who has been discriminated against finds a place to stay.

"An increasing number of Airbnb hosts and guests have voiced their concerns about being discriminated against when trying to book a listing because of their race, sexual orientation, or gender identity," former ACLU director, Laura W. Murphy, wrote in the report. "Discrimination flies in the face of the company’s mission to build a world where anyone can belong anywhere."

Airbnb said it closely examined its nondiscrimination policies and procedures due to this "outcry" from the community.

The review was led by Murphy, who convened a team that included senior representatives from various departments. Along with that, Airbnb consulted with a range of experts including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Dr. Robert Livingston, of Harvard University. Livingston helped develop anti-bias online training that will be available to all hosts beginning Nov. 1. The company is also expanding anti-bias training for all employees.

The company also met with multiple minority advocate groups and has said it will diversify its workforce by hiring more women and minorities.

Beginning Nov. 1, all Airbnb users will also be asked to pledge not to discriminate while using the service and uphold that commitment. Agreeing to the pledge also means agreeing to the company's strengthened anti-discrimination policy.

In a July blog post, Airbnb founder Brian Chesky wrote that the team conducting the review "highlighted the importance of fighting both explicit racism and the implicit biases that can lead to discrimination."

The discriminatory practices on the website were highlighted in a study conducted by Harvard Business School. The study found that guests with names that sounded African-American had a harder time booking reservations on the site than those who had white-sounding names. African-Americans using the room-sharing service have talked about their experiences on Twitter using the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack.

Airbnb was founded eight years ago by Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk and Brian Chesky. One of the most valued startups in the world, Airbnb has raised $2.4 billion in funding and currently has a $25.5 billion valuation.

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