@Theodore72 You are somewhat unclear on who this information is available to. You are not giving this info to the host- you are uploading it to Airbnb. Hosts do not see your ID, or your credit card info. All we hosts see is "Verified ID" on your profile, to know that you have provided that information to Airbnb.
Yes, you do see most hosts' profile photos attached to their listings. Hosts only see a guest's photo after a booking has been confirmed. We also only are privy to your phone number after a booking is confirmed, and at that point, you are also given the host's phone number.
Some hosts do ask guests for ID, at least to see it when you check in. This is to assure that the person who shows up is the person who booked. In some countries, hosts are required to give copies of guest IDs to the local authorities.
I would point out that hotels also ask for your credit card info and ID.
But yes, you are correct about the Airbnb site being difficult to use. There are a lot of tech issues and the software is poor.