In Summary
In an effort to fight race-based discrimination from its hosts, the company will hide customers’ full names when they rent a property until a host confirms the booking.Airbnb announced it’s going to hide guest names in Oregon to fight racial discrimination.
Beginning on Jan. 31, Airbnb hosts in Oregon will only see a guest’s initials rather than their full name. Hosts will get access to their full name once they confirm the booking,
“Airbnb has no tolerance for discrimination, and we have taken a number of steps to help fight bias,” the company said in its announcement last month. “We changed the way we display profile photos to encourage more objective bookings. And to help us more effectively identify and work to eliminate disparities in how our community members experience Airbnb.”
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The company’s decision to hide names comes nearly three years after the company settled a lawsuit by three Black Oregonian women, who accused Airbnb of allowing hosts to discriminate against customers based on race, according to Oregon Live.
“This update is consistent with the voluntary settlement agreement we reached in 2019 with individuals in Oregon who raised concerns regarding the way guests’ names are displayed when they seek to book a listing,” the company said on its website.
Airbnb said it worked with hosts, guests and civil rights leaders to help make the company and its services more inclusive.