Airbnb said it has found a “meaningful difference” in the booking success rate for users who are perceived to be White compared to those who are perceived to be Black
Airbnb on Tuesday said it has found a 'meaningful difference' in the booking success rate for users who are perceived to be White compared to those who are perceived to be Black. The findings come after the company launched an initiative to uncover and remedy race-based discrimination on its platform.
Airbnb on Tuesday said it has found a “meaningful difference” in the booking success rate for users who are perceived to be White compared to those who are perceived to be Black.5:03PM ET San Jose Police Department The white California man accused of shooting a Black Airbnb guest from behind as he walked to a grocery store near his rental home believed the unarmed victim was carrying a gun and may have been the thief who broke into his car days earlier, his lawyer claimed in court Monday.
The findings come after the company launched an initiative to uncover and remedy race-based discrimination on its platform. While all users successfully had their reservations confirmed by hosts more than 90% of the time in 2021, Airbnb said it found a notable gap in user experiences during that time depending on their apparent racial identity. Other shocking details emerged this week about the “unprovoked attack,” which cops say left an unnamed 21-year-old victim with a broken femur and Waters, 66, under investigation for a possible hate crime. Users who were perceived to be White had a booking success rate of 94. While all users successfully had their reservations confirmed by hosts more than 90% of the time in 2021, Airbnb said it found a notable gap in user experiences during that time depending on their apparent racial identity.1% while users who were thought to be Black had a success rate of 91. 2.4%, according to the company. In response, Airbnb plans to make it easier for all guests to receive a review when they travel, an effort that it hopes will have a large impact on the Black and Latino or Hispanic communities.
(Those perceived as Asian and Latino/Hispanic had booking success rates sitting in between. The unarmed man took off running in fear, prosecutors said, but Waters allegedly fired away, striking him in the leg while his back was turned away from him.4%, according to the company.) “It is a meaningful difference, and it’s unacceptable,”Janaye Ingram, Airbnb’s director of community partner programs and engagement, told CNN. “It is something that we obviously are not okay with and we are doing a lot to address. Video of the shooting was given to police by a neighbor.” The findings are part of Project Lighthouse, an effort launched by Airbnb in 2020 to collect data on racial discrepancies on its service. "It is something that we obviously are not okay with and we are doing a lot to address. The project was developed in partnership with Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, and with the support of other national privacy and civil rights organizations like the NAACP and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “He comprehended and knew that the victim was running away, and he shot him anyway,” said Deputy District Attorney Aidan Welsh, according to ABC 7. All Rights Reserved.
Airbnb’s efforts to address racial disparity on its platform come after the company repeatedly faced scrutiny on the issue. A 2015 study from Harvard found that Airbnb hosts were less likely to rent to guests with names that sounded African American.” Cops said they searched Waters’ home and seized multiple firearms. Airbnb's efforts to address racial disparity on its platform come after the company repeatedly faced scrutiny on the issue. The next year, Airbnb was hit with a lawsuit accusing it of discriminatory housing practices. (A federal judge later blocked the suit. Badillo said that Waters’ car had been broken into a couple of nights before the shooting and that his garage door openers were stolen.) And in 2019, the company settled a lawsuit from several Black women in Oregon alleging customers were discriminated against based on their race. (A federal judge later blocked the suit. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue.
The company said Tuesday that information collected through the Project Lighthouse initiative is being used to inform the company’s approach to bookings and reviews in an effort to minimize racial discrimination for prospective guests. But a past description given by Waters to authorities appeared to contradict this claim, ABC 7 reported. “You can’t fix what you don’t measure,” Ingram said. Airbnb has taken a number of steps in recent years to address concerns about racial disparities on its platform, including getting rid of guests’ profile pictures prior to booking, making more people eligible for the “Instant Book” feature that bypasses host approval, auditing booking rejections and making it easier for all guests to receive reviews, according to the company. Waters’ defense also told a judge that Waters believed the victim was holding a gun when he was shot. "You can't fix what you don't measure," Ingram said. On Tuesday, Airbnb said Project Lighthouse revealed another potential issue in need of tweaking: guests with more reviews have higher booking success rates than those without, and guests perceived to be White or Asian have more reviews than others. In response, Airbnb plans to make it easier for all guests to receive a review when they travel, an effort that it hopes will have a large impact on the Black and Latino or Hispanic communities. Prosecutors argued that Waters’ negligence with a firearm was reason to keep him locked up until trial.
The findings released on Tuesday come after Airbnb conducted two racial audits in 2016 and 2019. In response, Airbnb plans to make it easier for all guests to receive a review when they travel, an effort that it hopes will have a large impact on the Black and Latino or Hispanic communities. “Racial audits work, as long as corporations make the changes necessary to address what they expose,” said Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office says more charges may come as the investigation is looking into the incident as a possible hate crime, ABC 7 reported. “Six years after Airbnb’s first racial audit, and two years after Color Of Change negotiated Project Lighthouse, Airbnb is now a leading example of what it looks like to back up the rhetoric of racial justice with the policy, practice and personnel that can prevent rampant racial discrimination.” . “We will not tolerate such senseless and violent acts in this county. "Six years after Airbnb's first racial audit, and two years after Color Of Change negotiated Project Lighthouse, Airbnb is now a leading example of what it looks like to back up the rhetoric of racial justice with the policy, practice and personnel that can prevent rampant racial discrimination.
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