Project Lighthouse?

[Jude7]

Wondering how people are feeling about Airbnb sharing profile pics and first names in an independent study on discrimination? There’s something about having my name and picture floating about that is making me a bit squeamish, and I’m thinking about opting out.

wondering if I am being overly sensitive, and how other people feel. 

Jude

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jude7 You have actively advertised your property, name and profile picture on Airbnb which is accessible to billions of people. With this background why would you be concerned about a study on discrimination?

[Jude7]

You are absolutely right @Mike-And-Jane0 ! I didn't even realize that I have a level of mistrust towards Airbnb and their intentions, until I received this email and noted my hesitancy. It must have been the naturally suspicious New Yorker in me that got woken.  Thanks for resetting me back to center!

[Anonymous]

You are right about your mistrust towards AirBnB. They are now more of a political movement than a rental company. Why can’t they just focus on the business they are supposed to be? People want to book their dream vacation to get away from the divisive media imposing on us daily, AirBnB is making divisive issues front and center. That’s wrong and dumb!

[Melodie-And-John0]

Mistrust maybe not @Anonymous but I do think they need to stop chasing shiny objects like a kitty on catnip!  Stay well, JR

[Anonymous]

Hey Airbnb, if you want to be a great rental company, just do that.
If I wanted to be part of a political movement I would have joined a political organization.

If you want to be a political organization then get out of rental business and stop misusing your customers’ info they trusted you to keep safe. 
I’m tired of corporations lecturing their customers. I’m canceling my account and joining a competitor who does just rentals and does not misuse my personal info.

[Anonymous]

Here is why you want to be concerned about this “study”

who are these groups “studying” my info? Who are they affiliated with?

what are they looking for?
Exactly What are they “studying” in my photo and my name?

what are they going to do with this info?

why should I trust they will do what they say they will do?
This is nothing short of racial profiling.

come on people, have some concern over your privacy, these corporations use and abuse your info

[Terri129]

This is highly offensive, to automatically impute racist motives to hosts. There are already laws against discrimination and protections for victims. This is overreach and cow-towing to racist, violent, money hungry organizations like Black Lives Matter who openly advocate the killing of police. Airbnb and businesses in general should not be taking political sides. And...Airbnb should not be building vacation rentals in order to compete with their customers.

[Mike323]

@Terri129 

The instant they throw the switch and turn on the algorithm, Airbnb would go dark, being flagged by itself as the biggest proponents of discrimination.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBAijg5Betw

[Lisa723]

I have no problem with this, or any of Airbnb's other efforts to eliminate effects of racial bias on its platform.

@Terri129 you are misinformed about Black Lives Matter. BLM does not advocate killing police or any other violence.

[Mark116]

@Lisa723  Why would you ever expect that such an endeavor would be carried out fairly and competently, though?  Airbnb has shown itself over and over again to be reactionary and random, and their technology fails as often as it succeeds. 

[Lisa723]

@Mark116 I agree that Airbnb's customer service has shown itself to be reactionary and random (and Airbnb's organizational mission is often unfocussed). Though I think Airbnb could certainly do a better job of quality control, I definitely don't agree that its technology fails as often as it succeeds. (If that were true it would not be in business.) I'm agnostic on the question of whether this endeavor will be carried out fairly and competently-- in any case, the platform has been a vehicle for racial bias and Airbnb has a duty to at least try to correct that, though it is very difficult.

[Mark116]

@Lisa723  I guess I feel like 'original airbnb' when they were trying to find out what safeguards and features would motivate people to use the  platform is almost a totally different company and mindset than the global behemoth of today, which appears to careen from crisis to crisis rarely learning or applying any lessons, and I can honestly say, if the technology has been improved in the last 5  years, it has gone unnoticed by me, because it feels like every 'update' reduces functionality, every policy changes harms the hosts and the mission.  

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Lisa723, Lisa, Airbnb has shown it isnt capable of chewing gum and walking at the same time at this moment so clearly they need to focus on their primary objective, getting hosts and guests together not trying to redesign the complex human as a Lodging Booking Agent.  Heres my second problem with their meddling and unintended consequences, another great host @Christine615  "Christine" from Kansas City MS who is darker skinned pointed out in other posts that racism does exist and she really doesn't wish to confront it or be confronted with it either on her doorstep or if she is to be a guest somewhere else.  Right and wrong matter less at some points than living to enjoy another day or having some skinhead who hid behind a spiffy nickname and a picture of a dancing hotdog ruining your day, week or month.  Full disclosure is safer than finding out when you book or arrive somewhere that the fit between host and guest are toxic.  

Even with a proper "Witch or Dracula hunt", Airbnb will not be able to root out all the "tainted undesirables" even if they can actually put their finger on who they are (they can't cause this crap hides in plain sight)!  The holding back of pictures and allowing little caricatures or kittens as guest ID picture puts folks like Christine and you and I at a very big disadvantage when any of us need it least.   Trust me, Brian and friends can't fix a situation gone bad from the other end of a phone, complete disclosure up front is the only safe answer for both host and guest.  

[Terri129]

A well established slogan of Black Lives Matter is this one about police: "pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon." Do you not trust what you see? Leaders of BLM take the lead in violence and looting. Their name itself is racist. By taking political sides, Airbnb is inviting competition for another company not bent on dividing people to cut into its business,