Societally, there’s been a movement towards second chances for people convicted of crimes. Many companies have made it easier to a get a job post-incarceration, by ‘banning the box’ and no longer asking a question about past arrest or convictions on initial job applications. That way they consider an applicant’s qualifications first.
Airbnb, though, takes a Minority Report approach to pre-crime profiling, banning people from renting who they deem likely to engage in prohibited activities like house parties before they’ve done anything improper.
And, it turns out, they ban people who are associated with people ineligible to rent because they are deemed likely to travel with these people.
Airbnb is reportedly banning users who, despite having a clear background, were associated with people the company deems a safety risk. [According to Airbnb, i]t sometimes refuses to rent to users associated with banned individuals “likely to travel” with them.
For example, in January, Airbnb informed a user named Amanda that she was prohibited from the platform due to being “closely associated with a person who isn’t allowed to use Airbnb.” Amanda used the credit card of her boyfriend — who has a criminal record — to book the rental. (Amanda doesn’t have a criminal record.) She told Motherboard that her partner’s flagged history was from “a white collar charge” while adding that the two don’t share an address or bank account.
In order to appeal a ban when you’re banned because your boyfriend is banned, the only way to be allowed to rent from Airbnb again is either:
- To show you’re no longer “closely associated” with that person. You can satisfy Airbnb by ending the relationship, and proving you have done so.
- For the ‘problematic’ person themselves to successfully get reinstated.
Ultimately if Airbnb determines that you “[a]ssociate with someone with a checkered past — regardless of who they are today” then they won’t do business with you.
Tech companies have more data than ever before, track you through their apps (often hoovering up more information than most realize even when the app is not open), and add in data about you from other sources. And, scarily enough like banks, use that information to assess ‘risk’ in dealing with you. And that can leave you without access to tools that have become fundamental parts of life for many people.
(HT: @rakeshlobster)
I’m not sure I have a problem with this. A women using her boyfriend’s card that has a criminal record. Depends on what that record is for. Arson? Fraud? Squatting? Violent crime? Felon Alcohol or Drugs?. Being married to or associated with someone who is already banned for cause and you have reasonable belief they will travel with you is valid too.
Imagine that, not rent to someone who is likely to destroy the host’s property, what a novel concept!!! Of course in this day in age I guess to be fair we should just allow another person’s property to be looted, destroyed etc.
I guess Gary is also for allowing the person with two large empty duffle bags who walks into walgreens to just be allowed to room freely around the store because you know they haven’t done anything let… of course once they run off with 100k in product it’s too late.
Past behavior is 100% an indicator of future behavior. If you choose to associate with criminals that is on you.
Good for airbnb, now if they could get rid of those stupid fees!
I think I would be a lot more upset if Airbnb trolled her ig and used facial recognition to flag a potential association. Using the credit card of an individual who is banned sure sounds like a reasonable “red flag” for a company.
The problem with this is if they don’t differentiate between real crimes and fake “crimes” that exist because a tyrannical government criminalizes freedom. It makes sense to ban people who have a history of criminal mischief, vandalism, larceny, burglary, arson, aggravated assault, rape, and etc but not people who were arrested for having drugs, a court order for not baking a cake, a court order for not cutting your grass, speeding, arrested at a protest, assault on a cop/agent of tyranny, or not paying taxes.
The problem with liberals is they make excuses for actual violent criminals and groups and use their power to push them into our neighborhoods and businesses under the guise of diversity and equality. The problem with conservatives is they say they don’t support the government telling individuals what they can and can’t do but blindly support the cops who are the government and don’t realize that most of the laws they enforce are liberal laws conservatives don’t support and don’t support being enforced. Some of the liberal concerns about background checks and public disclosure of criminal and arrest records are valid but of course liberals are not concerned with victims of government persecution but solely on their pet criminals who are violent
Comments full of self righteous douchebags. If they banned everyone who has done something wrong in their lives no one would be able to rent.
I know VERY few people who haven’t broken the law. The only difference is who got caught for it..
@ Metatron
you need to get new friends. There is a HUGE difference between traffic violations and felonies. Most people don’t have a lot of friends that have broken law (Fraud, Arson, Violent Crimes, Drug Violations, Squatting, Theft) that continue to be close associates
Absolutely Businesses have a right to turn away risky clients. I wouldn’t rent a car to someone who has a drivers license littered with a DUIs. I wouldn’t rent to a person that had to be forcibly evicted from a property
Someone else using the card of a banned person sounds like a deliberate attempt to circumvent the ban and it seems perfectly reasonable to ban said person. She wouldn’t have had a problem if she used her own card.
No plans to ever stay in one
problem solved
Don’t blame AirBnB for the behavior of renters that ruined it for everyone else
There are many things that I can’t stand about Air BnB, but this isn’t one of them. The most important thing is to make sure that apartments aren’t trashed, and this fulfills that obligation in a meaningful way without bothering most people.
I’ll also take the opportunity to point out that this is a social credit system, and those that think that China has the only such system in the world are obviously mistaken.
Two propaganda pieces criticizing AirBnB in 2 days! Hooray, seems we are back on track.