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Following this thread, I have decided to contact Airbnb directly to get an official response to this matter, as it seems to be one of the most stupid decisions that may affect security of hosts.
Discrimination taken aside, does anyone know if this issue has been picked up and is observed by lawyers?
Looking at it from the cyber security angle, that by doing this, risk is distributed from Airbnb to a host, and disabling host’ ability to use visual identification of an incoming guest.
This needs to be picked up and dealt with ASAP.
A couple of scenarios to prove the danger for a nice PR campaign springs in mind:
organised crime, someone books and sends someone else to conduct illegal business in your home
a personal revenge
unauthorised access - a guest having the ability to book on behalf for someone who would not make it through the ID verification or with an intent to damage a host/home
could you think of more?
I am inclined to post this in my network on Linkedin to see if someone wants to pick on this.
This is not ok. Simple as is. No one uses the discrimination card to eliminate my personal security.
Please post, share ideally if you know of someone who would look at this from legal stand point, other than posting personal opinion on this matter.
She wrote to me in french although she had fluent english, i have enough french to understand her. She wrote in english when she asked to me to pitch. I responded in irish which i knew she would not understand and then blocked her. I would love to know what lucky host got the honour of hosting, sadly it was not me.
Air policy doesn’t prevent you from doing this. Just say in your listing that you will check the photo ID of all arriving guests. If anyone doesn’t have a photo ID on arrival just cancel their reservation. Since Airbnb doesn’t physically meet any guests they can’t really verify anyone, you have to do that.
I’m not inclined to be paranoid. You are in the greatest danger from people you know not strangers on the internet.
reading from responses of other hosts who have this implemented I can see half of their reviews suck due to guest being annoyed with this enquiry, even despite of being notified, also because many do not fully read or forget your house rules
failure to disclose does not automatically lead to Bnb accepting your cancellation and automatically not downgrading you in the net of Bnb search engine… At least in a current set up
agressing risk to hosts and decline in trust. if Bnb follows their suit, they should disable pictures of hosts to make it proper case of free discrimination platform. which becomes a craigslits and we all know where that goes.
a “minor” issue of GDPR…
I contacted Chesky directly on Twitter, so will see and update what is their reply.
visual ID prior booking is a 1st level security for me. if you cannot see the risk incoming, you cannot prepare for it/mitigate it/report it in advance but only as a reaction, that is if you already are not in a trouble…
Some people believe they can see this from a picture. If you believe you can see this in a picture that’s fine. But you don’t have a right to list on Airbnb. I don’t think they care what you want. If you don’t like them don’t use their platform. There are many hosts, like myself, who do not judge based on pictures and we will be happy to take your bookings.
I don’t mean this as an attack on you, your beliefs or your business model. I just think I’m stating the reality of Airbnb’s position. People have been predicting the demise of Airbnb since I started in 2014. “If Airbnb doesn’t start/stop “fill in the blank” they are doomed! They are going to lose all their hosts! They can’t exist without us hosts!”
Meanwhile they just keep adding more and more listings.
I totally agree. We trust AirBnB to vet the guests as requested on the site “rules”. Photos of dogs?? That is not a profile! Also, two of our guests did not have a government ID checked off as required. Will AirBnB cover the liability of guests without proper ID?
I’m with @KKC on this issue. I really don’t see how a photo uploaded on a website is any kind of security. Firstly, it could be a photo of anyone at all with no guarantee that it is the actual guest. Secondly, in my experience the vast majority of guests are not actually identifiable from their profile phot when they actually turn up, ie. they are ten years older/heavier or have changed hair colour etc etc. So what’s the point?
In the same way they do at the airport. As a basic recognition the visuals are somewhat resembling the individual in your home. If is not the individual requesting, that is a first indication something is not right. Looking at the replies though looks like my opinion is of a minority here, seems like many are happy with no photos or photos of dogs…
I understand your frustration. Do you rent a shared space or a separate whole home rental? Many people who operate with a separate whole home have guests sign a rental agreement and also ask for ID photos. This is way before Airbnb came around. If you operate a separate unit, just PM me and I can turn you on to some groups who are actively seeking renters on their own. Airbnb is for themselves. They made many owners feel safe and comfy until they decided that owners have nowhere else to go. For many years, people have been renting their shared spaces without any ID photo. It’s just Airbnb that became the big name to scare both newbie hosts and guests into thinking they need Air’s protection…which is basically nothing.
And it’s not just airbnb. I was just reading an article where the writer detailed having $7500 in stuff in a carry on bag that disappeared and after tons of work only got $1475 from her insurance. At her income level she probably should have blown it off.
I don’t think it’s useful to compare airport security checks to having a paying guest stay in your home. In fact it’s a bit ridiculous.
Do you search your guests’ bags as well? Do you employ a sniffer dog? And do the house tour in mime showing the emergency exit procedure? If so, sounds like you’ve got a special airbnb Experience there!
I have watched this thread for what feels like several days.
I think requiring a profile picture that is actually a person is going away. A picture tells you nothing. To compare a host’s ability to assess risk from a picture vs a TSA/Security department at an airport’s similar ability makes no sense. At the airport, they put that picture through the Interpol/FBI database looking for matches. if you have access to such a database, you shouldn’t be using it for your AirBNB business.
I could care less about a picture. I am far more interested in their ability to communicate, their grammar (yea, I know, I am a grammar snob), and their general awareness of the world around them. But, I have had plenty of guests who are missing one or more of those components and they have been just great.
I believe that the OP’s indignation is all about a CS not knowing that profiles are not a real requirement. I really do think that AirBNB has made it clear that they will do whatever they can to remove the obstacles people who are the ‘other’ have had to booking a room.
Even on this forum, there are people who don’t want this group, that group, people who don’t fit their idea of the right kind of guest. It always seems logical and okay to those hosts, but, fundamentally, it is discrimination and AirBNB has chosen to try to reduce those kinds of filters.
Like @KKC, I have IB. I don’t require previous positive reviews. Nothing has been stolen. No one has ‘disrespected’ my house [whatever that means]. Heck the worst thing that has happened is a wet bathroom floor! And, now I serve congee for breakfast and talk about the bathroom in matter-of-fact tones. I can’t believe the things I can now say to guests upon their arrival without any anxiety. Makeup, bathroom usage, dirty dishes, …
I called and told them how disrespectful this was to their hosts and that it was a prescription for division and distrust in the future. We viewed our relationship with Airbnb as a partnership of mutual trust and that it appeared they obviously do not return the good faith. The CS said she would pass on all of my concerns…
While K9KarmaCasa is not concerned, that is not at issue here. We are not here to discuss if photo ID is helpful, nor if paranoia is necessary. We get it K9KarmaCasa. You are unconcerned. We are concerned with the policy of Airbnb to deceive the people that they partner with in experimental fashion and then lie to them when they seek further information about an apparent “computer glitch” which hosts are told “this is something we are working on. It should be fixed soon…” If you check Airbnb’s own written response above you will see that it was their intention to “test” their hosts to see if we discriminate as if we are specimens in their corporate discrimination laboratory. I’m am not posting this to discuss the problem of discrimination, nor the effectiveness of photo ID as a factor in deciding who is “safe” to accept into our homes. I am revealing Airbnb’s deceptive business practices. I hope this is clear? It’s not okay lie to us regardless of your social purposes. None of us wish to be discriminated against nor do we wish to be lied to.
It’s not going to change, sorry. Ever since the beginning (I’ve been with them since the start) you’ve been able to see guest photos prior to booking. Then they had all those discriminatory issues happen which were very public and very bad press for them. It was right after that that they changed their TOS to force us to agree to not be discriminatory, and at that time, they also removed the photos, which they felt led to discriminatory practices, and they were probably right.
You can call, but more than likely that third party call center person is going to round file your complaint. Write a snail mail letter to the CEO, which by federal law must be delivered to his desk. Calling low level CRs to crab about corporate policy is a waste of time.
Is that literally what she said? That’s hilariously ironic. I’m sure they will pass on them…
You seem to have taken my lack of concern for the policy, the experimentation with the policy, not having a photo and so on to be a lack of empathy for your concerns. At least that’s what I get from your rudeness.
Yes, it’s absolutely clear and was when you first posted. Thanks for sharing your experience. Many of us were already aware that Airbnb does things like this. It seems that there are quite a few posts, not just mine, telling you that they don’t care and they aren’t going to change it.
So in asking you what you were going to do about it I meant are you going to list on another platform, move to doing long term rentals, list your property on you own website, etc.
