The racial profiling matter resulted from lawsuits about racial discrimination lodged against Airbnb. Airbnb was forced to take action by the court. They spun it into a reactive marketing campaign, which has been used by many with less than honorable intent to conceal needed information required to safely operate our business and protect our homes/properties by preventing us from having access to information required by insurance and law enforcement agencies to protect ourselves, our investments, and our neighbors/communities.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/california_will_audit_airbnb_hosts_for_racial_discrimination
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/08/19/536411.htm
If you read the articles, Airbnb decided how to avoid significant fines and censure by hiding guest names/photos as a platform-wide initiative designed to make them look like racial profiling heroes. They further chose to loosen the basic profile requirements that did offer some measure of safety...which has naturally resulted in where we are right now; with no recourse for safety and liability concerns that have in some cases proven traumatic/lethal and ultimately very expensive for hosts in many ways, and are rippling outwards further into the insurance industry and community structure/laws, with (once again) hosts bearing the financial/social burden.
As a result of not being proactive concerning the likely outcomes of relaxed vetting by this platform, many homeowners' insurance providers are scrutinizing and refusing to ensure airbnb's due to the increased liability risks and lack of available information to pursue damages, and municipalities are reacting similarly with restrictions/bans that also create widespread effect. It's not just about lack of housing. It's about safety. liability, and property values as well.
This was a visionary company and still is, there just needs to be a more balanced, larger focus about consequences, protecting all involved, and meeting customary/basic legal industry requirements so all involved are protected, rather then reactive policy designed to protect a few by making those who provide the means to make the money and are ultimately liable (hosts) most vulnerable of all. It's simply not sustainable.
Ahhh...the challenges of creating new intentional community/economy. No community or culture is immune from these issues, and in the US corporations are people too, complicating matters further. I highly doubt those 3 guys trying to make rent who started all of this could forsee all of the consequences...but they have create a huge enterprise and it's time to assume responsibility for this creation and it's effects from a far broader then personal profit perspective before more of their demographic (hosts/guests/communities) are damaged and alienated.
