SENSITIVE CONTENTS...makes it look like nefarious text!

[Tewodaj0]

Dear Airbnb Community,

A question and suggestion for improvement: I wrote a potential guest "I just checked on Googlemaps and it's a 13 min walk" from my house to her daily destination. And it showed up as "I just checked on (SENSITIVE CONTENTS HIDDEN)maps and it's a 13 min walk". I know Airbnb hides various sorts of info this way, such as phone numbers, the names of social media companies etc.

Aside that it's absurd to hide words like google and twitter, as in the example above, it is really annoying because if the person I'm corresponding with doesn't know this feature of Airbnb yet, they'll think I may have written some inappropriate (as in, curse language or something) word that the system filtered out, and this may affect their willingness to be a guest.

Can't Airbnb, rather than replacing "google" with such alarmist all-caps warning, simply omit the word? Then the above would read "I just checked on maps and it's a 13 min walk", which sounds grammatically incorrect, but at least it won't scare people away! How to convey this to Airbnb?

Thanks.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Airbnb is focused on ensuring the safety of the community. By automatically blocking websites (including Google, Facebook, etc.) so they can discourage users from transacting offsite, therefore preventing possible scams and fraud.  These particular websites are also "branded" - so use the larger category in your email exhanges.  Say "according my online map service, it's xx miles".  Google is a trademarked brand name - like Kleenex is a branded name for tissue.   

You are able to use these words after a reservation is actually made.  

[Kirstie]

Great explanation @Alice-and-Jeff0!

[Tewodaj0]

Dear @Alice-and-Jeff0 and @Kirstie , 

Thanks for your replies. However, you address my more minor concern--why are words like google blocked--but not my primary concern: Why are such words blocked with such an alarmist, scary sounding, all-caps phrase, instead of just omitting the forbidden word or replacing it with a gentler set of characters (like just a dash, "-"). I mentioned in my earlier post what the detrimental consequences are of the all caps style, that would not obtain with a simple omission or other gentle replacement.

You do say that all this would not be an issue if one always used workarounds, such as "online map" instead of "googlemaps". True, but when one types quickly in various exchanges with potential guests, it's hard to always make sure to remember which are the forbidden words, and invariably one will accidentally type something like "there are many nice cafes in my Park View neighbourhood, which you can find by googling" or something.  

My suggestion is not "don't block". It is simply "block in a way that will not make a guest worried the host is using inappropriate or offensive language in the text".

[Kirstie]

Hi @Tewodaj0,

I understand that the fact that the replacement text is in capital letters can make it seem quite alarming. Thanks for your feedback on this, I will do my best to pass it on!

Kirstie

[Tewodaj0]

Hi @Kirstie,

Thanks for passing on the feedback to Airbnb administration!

(Am also mentioning @Alice-and-Jeff0 for their reference)

[Kate221]

The policy is more of a way protecting Airbnb's profit margin from fee's rather than freud one could argue. But what REALLY annoys me is arbitrary words that have nothing to do with a website are being hidden from NEW users who can get put off by that. So thank you Airbnb. After I brought it to your attention, you said you would look into it. The case was closed with a reference for me to report it AGAIN.