Skift Take
To address this issue, Chesky reassured users that they don’t have to worry about fake listings because Airbnb is working on a new system to verify them.
As has been his habit about product changes, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted about updates the company is making to this year’s summer release announced in May.
Notable are the updates on the long-awaited verified listings, cleaning fees and lower prices, and better customer service.
But let’s talk about verified listings, as it’s been a concern the company has said it was addressing for a while — precisely four years in the making.
A common concern among Airbnb users involves difficulties in locating the advertised apartment or encountering unresponsive hosts. To address this issue, Chesky reassured users that they don’t have to worry about fake listings because Airbnb is working on a new system to verify them.
This is how it will work: In order to get verified, for each listing, individuals must provide proof of being a genuine resident at the location, with the host having access to that property. To accomplish this, Airbnb will deploy a mix of anti-fraud technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and human evaluation to assess authenticity and ascertain if they fulfill the verification requirements.
For new listings, this entails uploading photos with GPS data via the Airbnb mobile app. For existing li