Whistleblower alleges Airbnb weakened its policies on extremists and hate groups
A whistleblower alleges that Airbnb weakened its policies on extremists and hate groups. The company denies this, saying it remains committed to keeping users safe.
Airbnb weakened its policies against extremists and hate groups last year and dissolved its team tasked with removing them from the platform, a former investigations analyst for the company alleged in a recent whistleblower complaint.
Airbnb denied the allegations, saying that it remains committed to removing members of violent extremist groups, organized crime networks and hate groups and that it has hired additional people to do this work.
The complaint, filed in May and addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, accuses Airbnb of misleading investors and the public. It alleges that the San Francisco-based short-term lodging company shifted its policies in 2023, away from the proactive safety approach co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in 2021 should serve as ”a role model” for other tech companies, and toward one guided by internal pressure to avoid negative press and the appearance of unequal enforcement against conservatives.
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