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Airbnb reportedly bans users who have ties to people the company deems a safety risk, despite having a clear background. Short-term rental companies face an impossible balancing act of giving owners peace of mind without unfairly discriminating against tenants, but their appeals process (important to uncover excesses) steps) sounds lackluster and confusing while being on the wrong side of homeowners’ safety awareness.
Airbnbs Confirmed To motherboard We may deny rentals to users who are associated with prohibited individuals who are “likely to travel with”. I have been banned from the platform because I have a close relationship with someone who is not. Amanda booked the rental using her ex-boyfriend’s credit card. (Amanda has no criminal record for her.) She said. motherboard Her partner’s flagged history was due to “white-collar billing,” he added, adding that the two did not share an address or bank account.
Two days after challenging the ban, Airbnb told her it would support the ban “after careful consideration” to “protect our community.” It then slammed the case door, adding, “At this time, we do not provide additional support for this case.” The company is not transparent about how long it has enacted this process or how often it uses it, but the procedure requires one of two things for her to succeed in appealing: They are not “closely associated” with the person in question.
Either way, the company’s subliminal messages hide a conspiracy. Dating someone with a troubled past, regardless of who they are now. Neither can use our platform.
Airbnb is a sole proprietorship and Amanda can try to book through a competitor or simply secure a hotel room. Furthermore, we don’t know the exact details as to why her boyfriend was banned in the first place. It highlights a more serious problem with (The company was already using “anti-party tech,” and competitor Her Vrbo used essentially pre-crime tech for House his parties during the Super Bowl.)
So where do you draw the line? Airbnb’s response seems to be a cynical calculation that homeowners would rather risk negative press about banning acquaintances (perhaps unfairly) than feel uncomfortable using the service. .
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