Airbnb announces new policies on fighting discrimination and promoting diversity

After sustained criticism, Airbnb today announced changes to how it handles discrimination on its service.

A 32-page report released today

In a 32-page report authored by Laura Murphy, a former director of the ACLU Legislative Office, the company said it would make several moves, including adding a more detailed nondiscrimination policy for users, as well as creating a new team tasked with identifying and combating bias on the platform. Airbnb said it would also implement a new internal policy on diversity, which "will mandate that all candidate pools for senior-level positions include women and candidates from underrepresented backgrounds."

The company declined to remove the use of photos from listings, an idea that some have pushed for. Instead, citing the security benefits of photos, Airbnb will include "reputation-enhancing data such as reviews and verified ID to reduce the potential for bias," the report said. The company will also experiment with using less prominent photos on the service.

"We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you travel, you should be able to belong in the Airbnb community," CEO Brian Chesky said in a note announcing the changes.

Studies have suggested some of the discrimination issues Airbnb users face, whether they rent or host. In 2014, one study found black hosts earned less than their white counterparts. Another, released in late 2015, found that hosts discriminate based on the sound of renters' names.

"These changes are only Airbnb's first steps," the report reads. "Fighting discrimination will require constant and
ongoing work."

• SourceAirbnb report (PDF)