AirBnB recently announced that it will change their policy in Oregon, to hide profile pictures and names from the host until the booking is confirmed. This action aims to prevent racial injustice amongst hosts as findings from research have shown that hosts are 16% more likely to accept guests whose names sound “white”.
According to this article by The Verge, the company has been vocal about supporting racial injustice and aims to collaborate with civil rights leaders to ensure that the AirBnB community is inclusive and equally accessible to all. Although this change has only been applied to Oregon so far, they aim to see how it impacts the user experience and expand it to other places as well. Click below to read the full article.