Battling discrimination on Airbnb
Since 2016, we've removed 1.3M people from Airbnb for declining to treat others without judgement
or bias. But discrimination still happens, so we're introducing some new ways to fight it.
Project Lighthouse: finding & fighting discrimination on Airbnb
Project Lighthouse is a groundbreaking initiative we're launching in the United States to uncover, measure, and overcome discrimination when booking or hosting on Airbnb.
Built to uncover discrimination
This project will address discrimination that's based on perception—and on Airbnb, people perceive race from things like first names and profile photos. Together, with civil rights organizations like Color Of Change and Upturn, we're beginning with research to understand when and where racial discrimination happens on our platform and the effectiveness of policies that fight it.Learn more
Designed with privacy in mind
We worked with leading privacy organizations like the Center for Democracy & Technology to understand the best methods for privacy protection so we can make sure your information stays safe. We analyze trends in bulk, and Airbnb won't associate perceived race information with specific accounts.Learn more
What we’ve done so far
We know that addressing discrimination requires ongoing attention and care to make sure we get things right. Here are some of the other actions we’ve taken—and what you can expect more of in the future.
Non-discrimination Policy
Everyone who uses Airbnb must agree to ourCommunity Commitment andNon-discrimination Policy. If you’ve experienced discrimination, we’ll investigate the issue, take action, and if needed,help you find another place to stay.
Profile photo protections
We all have bias. But companies like Airbnb can do more to create tools that help prevent people from making biased decisions. That’s why guests’ profile photos aren’t displayed to hosts until after a booking is confirmed, which encourages more objective decision making by hosts.
Objective bookings
Instant Book allows a listing to be booked immediately, making the process easier for hosts and ensuring the process is objective for guests. Millions of listings can be booked this way, with more being added all the time.
Dedicated anti-discrimination team
Airbnb has a specialized team dedicated to making changes to our platform that help prevent and address discrimination, including development of initiatives like Project Lighthouse and profile photo protections.