Would love other hosts' perspectives on this! Airbnb cancelled white supremacists' bookings?

[Allison2]

http://www.thewrap.com/people-bound-for-white-supremacist-rally-getting-ousted-from-airbnb/

What do you think? Should Airbnb cancel confirmed bookings because they don't agree with someone's personally held beliefs, or the pages they like on Facebook? It seems an awful lot like prosecuting for thought crimes and guilt by association to me.

Where do we draw the line?

I'm no friend of white supremacists/nationalists, but I think this was poor form. How do we increase tolerance if we force this type of person to only interact with people who share their beliefs? I'd have to say I like LGBT people a hell of a lot better than white supremacists, but what's the difference between a Christian bakery owner refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding and a liberal hotelier refusing to lodge a white supremacist?

Non-discrimination is non-discrimination. I offer my listing to anyone regardless of their beliefs. There are several religions that don't regard my gender as equal, but I still host adherents of those faiths. So long as their prejudice doesn't show through in their behavior while staying in my home, they're welcome. So now these people with distasteful beliefs will give their money to someone who shares their viewpoint. It would have been more impactful for hosts to donate the proceeds to the ACLU or some other organization that supports tolerance and equal rights for all.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Airbnb's anti-discrimination policy says: "Bias, prejudice, racism, and hatred have no place on our platform or in our community. "

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1405/airbnb-s-nondiscrimination-policy--our-commitment-to-inclus...

What's more troublesome is that Airbnb went trolling to find details about the guests making the reservations without using only how those guests act within the Airbnb Community to determine if they are acting in an anti-discriminatory way.  

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

BTW:  

Airbnb has a new revenue-sharing deal with the NAACP 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/26/airbnb-revenue-sharing-deal-naacp/

[Amy38]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 

I just read this as an effortto get more minoritiesto be hosts....money in Abnb pocketsas well as more diversity.  I am all for it.

Years ago the ACLU defended, in court,  a Neo-Nazi or Klan's right, to rally.  Many people

took offense and cancelled their donations and membership in the ACLU.  My Jewish mother did not approve of this stance and doubled her donation.  Freedom has to be for everyone. 

Abnb states very clearly that they check everyone out on social media as well as sex offender lists.

My opinion is that they should have alerted each host and let them decide if they wanted to cancel the guest with no penalty.   As didtasteful as these people are, it is not Abnb's call to cancel verified guests.

[David126]

@Amy38 I agree with your sentiments but I am pretty sure the 'checking' they do is very limited and spotty. And in any event not everybody shares their world views on Social Media.

[Allison2]

Yes, the troubling part is that it appears guest profiles were removed and reservations cancelled for actions that happened outside of the platform.

It would be easy to hit DECLINE and flag a user account if they'd messaged "You haven't had any {ethnic or minority slur} sleep in your sheets, have you? I require racially pure accomodations". That's hate and bias on the platform - absolutely, get rid of them. If someone showed up and went on a rant because they didn't like the rainbow peace flag outside my house, same deal.

But these people presumably acted well enough to secure a confirmed reservation. It makes me uncomfortable to think that we're deleting profiles based on what they "liked" on facebook or what events they're attending. 

How many religious leaders espouse viewpoints that are prejudiced or biased - backed up by scripture? Are we banning anyone who attends those churches/synagogues/mosques or follows their social media? Wouldn't Airbnb be literally pre-judging them based not on their behavior, but their religious affiliation?

I really dislike arguing for white supremacists, but I don't like this precendent Airbnb has set.

[David126]

There are so many things within the system they could focus on, how about all the issues with the Host Guarantee, guests who have trashed places but are still on the system yet they have the resources somehow to go and look into this? How about all the guests from Kellyville, those who have a cartoon for the profile photo etc etc etc.

I find it difficult to believe Hosts have been getting 'I am a White Supremecist and want to book your place whilst attending a rally' enquiries.

Do their photos show them wearing Klu Klux Clan garb and waiving torches?

[David126]

Very weird, and some what worrying. 

Begs the question first how they could possibly know why somebody is staying with a Host, most of the time I do not know why a guest has booked, sometimes they tell me when they are here.

On a deeper level presumably there is a list of approved and unapproved groups, lots of groups I may not like but others may feel are fine. And vice versa.

But I am offering accomodation, not judgement.

[Bruce43]

@David126 I have a few family members in Denver area.

and have the same outlook on life.

must be a view of most people I have met there too.

live and let live seems to be the state motto.

just saying, sounds good

[Isabel203]

Hmmmm, good question, @Allison2. TOUGH question.  One of the reasons I use Instant Booking is because I recognize the importance of counteracting my own prejudices and trying to treat all potential guests equally. And I agree with @Allison2 and others who say that shutting  out people just because they have views I don't like probably feeds prejudice rather than fighting it.

So, I want to think I that I would be willing to host these folks, even if I wasn't totally comfortable with it.  But then I am white, Christian, cisgender, and have never been the target of a hate crime. I can't help thinking about how I would feel as a person of colour or a Jew and facing the prospect of having my home filled with strangers who likely promote, and possible commit, such crimes. That would take a courage I can't even imagine. And, even if some hosts were willing to do this, I am not sure it would be OK to EXPECT it of them.

AirBnB has a responsibility to treat its clients fairly, for sure - regardless of their religion, beliefs, race, gender, etc. But I believe it also has a responsibility to protect its hosts. The question, of course, is how to balance those two things.

I think AirBnB made a reasonable call on this one, but I would be really interested in hearing the perspectives of hosts who belong to minority groups.

[David126]

@Isabel203

OK I had to google cisgender, but I am pretty sure with that description you are in a minority.

I guess I am in a minority as I am male, I have a few other factors that would qualify me more obviously.

The problem is where do you stop? I assume most of these bans were on supicion rather than proof. And to what extent is AirBnB some sort of judge? I suppose they could have a system that includes notifying Hosts that your next Guest is a member of or associated with 'x' group? 

[Isabel203]

@David126, I'm pretty sure I'm NOT in the minority, lol. My kids and their friends would all be able to explain what cisgender is, and non-binary, and gender fluid... I'm just trying to keep up 🙂

BTW I think I read that the users were identified because they posted on the Supremicist website stating that they were arranging their accommodations through AirBnB. 

While I agree that there is a point on the continuum where it would clearly be wrong to ban users because of social or political affiliations, it is equally true that there is a point on the continuum where it would be wrong NOT to. For example, what about someone who organizes rallies in favour of ISIS and has publicly incited others to beat women who don't wear a burqua ? Should I be required to welcome them into my home?

[David126]

Well I know being a Christian in the UK puts you in a Minority, not sure about the numbers in Canada.

But you make an interesting point, plenty of nasty groups out there, wonder which ones are being monitored and banned?

[Anonymous]

@David0 -  59.5% of people in the UK identify as Christian, a definite majority considering that no other religion in that country accounts for even 5% of its population. (25.7% identify as non-religious). I realize this is digressive, but when the topic is false equivalencies it bears to reason that they are often the product of incorrect or distorted information.

[David126]

@Anonymous

A landmark in national life has just been passed. For the first time in recorded history, those declaring themselves to have no religion have exceeded the number of Christians in Britain. Some 44 per cent of us regard ourselves as Christian, 8 per cent follow another religion and 48 per cent follow none. The decline of Christianity is perhaps the biggest single change in Britain over the past century. For some time, it has been a stretch to describe Britain as a Christian country. We can more accurately be described now as a secular nation with fading Christian institutions.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/05/britain-really-is-ceasing-to-be-a-christian-country/

An awful lot of that 44% fall into the Birth/Death/Marriage category.