Airbnb Settles Race Discrimination Complaint in California
Photo Credit: Airbnb and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing have signed a voluntary agreement to work toward curb racial discrimination on the Airbnb platform. Airbnb / Airbnb
Skift Take
Whatever can be done to prevent discrimination and bias on the Airbnb platform is a good thing. Let's just hope this plan works toward that goal.
Nearly a year after a California government agency filed a complaint alleging that Airbnb failed to prevent discrimination against African-American guests using its short-term rental platform, the company is making an attempt to work with government regulators to police and improve upon its non-discrimination policy.
On April 27, Airbnb and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) announced that both parties had signed an agreement on April 19 whereby Airbnb would, for at least the next two years, voluntarily agree to take specific actions that address racial bias and discrimination on its platform.
These actions include, but are not limited to, regularly scheduled reports to be submitted to the DFEH about the company's ability to curb discrimination, as well as fair housing testing by the DFEH on Airbnb hosts with three or more listings in California who have been the subject of one or more discrimination complaints.
"We will continue to work collaborat
