@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0,
I appreciate your input, because you frequently try to present an insightful viewpoint. Thanks again for providing the link to Project Lighthouse. Based upon the written details the research will begin in September. So, it's unlikely that the recent rash of inquiries for prospective party locations are related to the project. I also clicked the link regarding Airbnb's non-discrimination policy: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/1405/airbnbs-nondiscrimination-policy-our-commitment-to-inclus.... Although profile photos are not required to make reservations, hosts still have the authority to cancel them if they feel uncomfortable with hosting a person if it's not based upon a protected characteristic.
"Nothing in this policy prevents a host from turning down a guest on the basis of a characteristic that is not protected under the civil rights laws or closely associated with a protected class. For example, an Airbnb host may turn down a guest who wants to smoke in a unit, or place limits on the number of guests in a unit."
I use Instant Booking for my listings, and generally get requests to book only from people who do not meet the reservation preferences that I've selected (one of them is that a profile picture is required). If I were to receive a reservation from a new Airbnb user that had a profile picture that raised my personal red flags, I certainly would present more inquisitive questions to the guest about the planned activities while staying in my space, and try to engage in extended dialogue with the guest to get help me gauge my comfort level to rent to them. I've even called a couple of guests, because I know some people do not have strong written skills, e.g. writing complete sentences without slang, acronyms or emojis. Had they not been able to talk with me in a manner that resonated to my acceptable level of maturity and accountability, I would have declined the reservations.
Unfortunately, Airbnb is again more focused on protecting the guests from discrimination rather than insuring that hosts have comparable protections. The platform still requires that hosts post a profile picutre: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/67/why-do-i-need-to-have-an-airbnb-profile#:~:text=At%20least%20... This tactic is similar to the email service they provided, the guest's email address was obfuscated to protect their privacy, but the host's personal email address was in full view whenever they send an email to guests. To provide equal protection under Airbnb's non-discrimination policy, the host's profile picture shouldn't be displayed until the reservation has been made.