Airbnb has promised to ban anyone associated with last week’s Capitol riot and is taking steps to ensure that anyone associated with hate groups won’t use their accommodation booking service ahead of the presidential inauguration on January 20.
A company spokesperson said, “When we learn through media or law enforcement sources the names of individuals confirmed to have been responsible for the violent criminal activity at the United States Capitol on January 6, we investigate whether the named individuals have an account on Airbnb.” The statement continued, “this includes cross-referencing the January 6 arrest logs of D.C. Metro Police. If the individuals have an Airbnb account, we take action, which includes banning them from using Airbnb.”
Airbnb also said that it would beef up security measures introduced after the Charlottesville riots of 2017 by introducing a seven-step plan designed to increase community protections for the Washington, DC area ahead of the inauguration ceremony on January 20. The steps include reviewing all reservations made for in and around that date in the DC area and a 24/7 Urgent Safety hotline overseen “by highly trained staff.” The company will also tighten up booking requirements, with additional identity verification measures and other security checks to ensure that background checks are up-to-date.
