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==Terms of use and guest review system== |
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Linguist [[Mark Liberman]] has criticized the extreme length of the legal agreements that Airbnb members are required to accept, with the site's [[terms of service]], [[privacy policy]], and other policies amounting to "55081 words, or about the size of a short novel, though much less readable".<ref>{{cite news | last=Liberman | first=Mark | title=We're updating our novel-length Terms of Service? | url=http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=11707 | publisher=[[Language Log]] | date=April 10, 2014}}</ref> Its 69 pages have been summarized by a lawyer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Holloway |first1=Kurt |title=Airbnb Terms of Service: What Renters Should Know |url=http://www.whhmlaw.com/for-your-information/contract-law-articles/airbnb-terms-of-service-what-renters-should-know |website=Wells, Hoffman, Holloway & Medvesky, LLP |language=en |quote=overview of Airbnb’s Terms of Services}}</ref> |
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Airbnb features a review system in which guests and hosts can rate each other after a stay. Hosts and guests are unable to see reviews until both have submitted a review or until the window to review has closed, a system which aims to improve accuracy and objectivity by removing fears that users will receive a negative review in retaliation if they write one. However, the truthfulness and impartiality of reviews may be adversely affected by concerns of future stays because prospective hosts may refuse to host a user who generally leaves negative reviews. In addition, the company's policy requires users to forego anonymity, which may also detract from users' willingness to leave negative reviews. These factors may damage the objectivity of the review system.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.inc.com/sonya-mann/airbnb-nightmare-experiences.html | title=Why Airbnb Reviews Don't Tell the Whole Story | first=Sonya | last=Mann | work=Inc. | date=May 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-airbnb-reviews-are-a-problem-for-the-site-2015-6 | title=Why Airbnb reviews are a problem for the site | first=Molly | last=Mulshine | work=[[Business Insider]] | date=June 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://maphappy.org/2015/05/why-you-really-cant-trust-airbnb-reviews-at-all/ | title=Why You Really Can’t Trust Airbnb Reviews At All | first=Erica | last=Ho | work=Map Happy | date=May 14, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://mashable.com/2015/05/18/airbnb-reviews/ | title=Why you should think twice before trusting Airbnb reviews | first=Erica | last=Ho | work=[[Mashable]] | date=May 19, 2015}}</ref> |
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In August 2017, Airbnb cancelled numerous bookings and closed accounts belonging to attendees of the [[white nationalist]] [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], citing its [[terms of service]] in which members must "accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age."<ref name="Engel">{{cite news | last=Bromwich | first=Jonah Engel | title=Airbnb Cancels Accounts Linked to White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/us/airbnb-white-nationalists-supremacists.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=August 9, 2017}}</ref> The move was criticized by [[Jason Kessler]], organizer of the rally.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Madison | last1=Park | first2=Chris | last2=Boyette | title=Airbnb removes users affiliated with white nationalists' rally | url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/09/us/airbnb-cancels-bookings-white-nationalists-rally/index.html | work=[[CNN]] | date=August 9, 2017}}</ref> |
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==Controversies== |
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===Fair housing implications and discrimination=== |
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In July 2016, former Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] was hired to help craft an anti-discrimination policy for Airbnb after the company faced many complaints related to [[racism]], including a study by [[Harvard Business School]] that showed widespread discrimination by hosts against guests whose names suggested that they were black.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Abha | last1=Bhattarai | first2=Emily | last2=Badger | title=Airbnb hires Eric Holder to help company fight discrimination | work=[[The Washington Post]] | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/07/20/eric-holder-joins-airbnb-to-help-company-fight-discrimination/ | date=20 July 2016}}</ref> |
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===Housing affordability=== |
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Airbnb has been criticized for allegedly resulting in increased housing prices. In [[San Francisco]], the issue led to protests in November 2015.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Booth | first1=Kwan | title=Protesters occupy Airbnb HQ ahead of housing affordability vote | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/02/airbnb-san-francisco-headquarters-occupied-housing-protesters | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=2 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Charlemagne: the backlash against Airbnb | url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/07/19/charlemagne-the-backlash-against-airbnb | work=[[The Economist]] | date=19 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Westin | first=Jonathan |title=Why Airbnb is a serious threat to New York City | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-why-airbnb-is-a-threat-to-nyc-20180605-story.html | work=[[New York Daily News]] | date=June 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Branson-Potts | first1=Hailey | last2=Lien | first2=Tracey | title=Protesters storm Airbnb's San Francisco headquarters a day before vote on regulations | url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-airbnb-protest-20151102-story.html | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=2 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Katz |first1=Miranda |title=A LONE DATA WHIZ IS FIGHTING AIRBNB — AND WINNING |url=https://www.wired.com/2017/02/a-lone-data-whiz-is-fighting-airbnb-and-winning/ |website=Wired.com |publisher=Condé Nast |accessdate=20 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Cox | first=Murray |title=How is Airbnb really being used in and affecting the neighbourhoods of your city? |url=http://insideairbnb.com/ | website=Inside Airbnb |publisher=Murray Cox}}</ref> |
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Several studies, some financed by the [[hotel industry]], found that rental prices in many areas increased due to Airbnb, as landlords kept properties off the longer-term rental market and instead get higher rental rates for short-term housing via Airbnb.<ref>{{cite news | last=Thompson | first=Derek | title=Airbnb and the Unintended Consequences of 'Disruption' | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/02/airbnb-hotels-disruption/553556/ | work=[[The Atlantic]] | date=February 17, 2018}}</ref> Landlords have been accused of illegally evicting tenants in order to convert properties into Airbnb listings.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://prospect.org/article/evictions-and-conversions-dark-side-airbnb | title=The Unsavory Side of Airbnb | first=Steven | last=Hill | work=[[The American Prospect]] | date=19 October 2015}}</ref> |
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A study published in 2017 found that increasing Airbnb listings in a given neighborhood by 10% leads to a 0.42% increase in rents and a 0.76% increase in house prices.<ref>{{Cite journal | last=Barron | first=Kyle | last2=Kung | first2=Edward | last3=Proserpio | first3=Davide | title=The Sharing Economy and Housing Affordability: Evidence from Airbnb | url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3006832 | date=5 October 2017}}</ref> |
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A study found that on Manhattan's [[Lower East Side]], full time listings earned hosts an average of two to three times the median average rent.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45083954 | title=What Airbnb really does to a neighbourhood | first=Daniel | last=Guttentag | work=[[BBC News]] | date=August 30, 2018}}</ref> |
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A study by the [[University of Massachusetts Boston]] Department of Economics found that with every 12 Airbnb listings per [[census tract]], asking rents increased by 0.4%.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/02/study-airbnb-cities-rising-home-prices-tax/581590/ | title=The Airbnb Effect: It’s Not Just Rising Home Prices | first=SARAH | last=HOLDER | work=[[CityLab]] | date=February 1, 2019}}</ref> |
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Similar concerns have been raised in other parts of the world such as [[Scotland]], where, in 2017, an increase in Airbnb listings alarmed the local community.<ref>{{cite news | last=Hamada | first=Rachel | title=Concern as Airbnb properties "snowball" across Scotland | url=https://theferret.scot/airbnb-growth-tourism-scotland/ | work=[[The Ferret]] | date=17 August 2017}}</ref> |
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However, according to an analysis conducted in 2016, while commercial listings make up a significant share of host revenue, the number of listings on Airbnb is negligible compared to the total rental housing stock of many major cities.<ref>{{cite news | last=Stulberg | first=Ariel | title=Airbnb Probably Isn’t Driving Rents Up Much, At Least Not Yet | url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/airbnb-probably-isnt-driving-rents-up-much-at-least-not-yet/ | work=[[FiveThirtyEight]] |date=August 24, 2016}}</ref> |
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===Bad experiences by guests=== |
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In 2017, travel blogger Asher Fergusson analyzed 1,021 negative experiences by guests. He found that there are ways for hosts to use fake information to circumvent Airbnb's background checks. He noted several reported incidents including last minute cancellations, moldy or rodent-infested lodging, theft, invasion of privacy, and even rape and murder. Airbnb responded that the 1,021 incidents are statistically insignificant compared to 260 million check-ins at the time and that the company tries to remedy any problems.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/airbnb-dangerous-loopholes-corpse-garden-a8101371.html | title=Airbnb guest finds corpse in garden | first=Harriet | last=Agerholm | work=[[The Independent]] | date=9 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-rotting-corpse-and-other-airbnb-horror-stories-x0pgw6csx | title=The rotting corpse and other Airbnb horror stories | last=Ellson | first=Andrew | work=[[The Times]] | date=9 December 2017 | issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.asherfergusson.com/airbnb/ | title=Is Airbnb Safe? We Analyzed 1021 Horror Stories to Find Out | first=Asher | last=Fergusson | work=Asher & Lyric | date=30 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-12-12/airbnb-like-uber-needs-to-grow-up | title=Airbnb, Like Uber, Needs to Grow Up | first=Leonid | last=Bershidsky | work=[[Bloomberg News]] | date=12 December 2017 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3953963/airbnb-scams/ | title=Review of Airbnb horror stories finds ‘multiple dangerous loopholes and scams’| first=Erica | last=Alini | work=[[Global News]] | date=11 January 2018}}</ref> |
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===Delisting of West Bank settlements=== |
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In 2018, Airbnb announced that it will remove the approximately 200 "listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians".<ref name=airbnb>{{cite web| url = https://press.airbnb.com/listings-in-disputed-regions/ | title = Listings in Disputed Regions | date=November 19, 2018 | author = Airbnb}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/airbnb-to-remove-listings-in-jewish-west-bank-settlements-1.6662443|title=Airbnb to Remove Listings in Jewish West Bank Settlements|first1=Noa|last1=Landau|first2=Yotam|last2=Berger|first3=Jack|last3=Khoury| work=Reuters|date=19 November 2018 |via=Haaretz}}</ref> Listings in Israeli settlements in [[East Jerusalem]] or the [[Golan Heights]] were not affected.<ref name=airbnb/> The move was praised by the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] movement, Palestinians,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-welcome-airbnb-settlement-ban-as-israel-fumes/ | title=Palestinians welcome Airbnb settlement ban as Israel fumes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Heller |first1=Jeffrey |title=Israel to turn to U.S. government over Airbnb removal of settlement... |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-airbnb/israel-to-turn-to-us-government-over-airbnb-removal-of-settlement-listings-idUSKCN1NP19W |work=U.S.}}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]],<ref>{{cite book | title=Bed and Breakfast on Stolen Land | author = Human Rights Watch | date=November 20, 2018 | url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/israel1118_web_0.pdf | isbn = 978-1-6231-36796}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/20/israel-airbnb-end-settlement-rentals | author = Human Rights Watch | title=Israel: Airbnb to End Settlement Rentals | date=November 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Meixler |first1=Eli |title=Airbnb Is Removing Rentals in Israeli-Occupied West Bank Settlements Following Criticism |url=http://time.com/5459753/airbnb-removes-israel-west-bank-rentals/ |publisher=TIME |date=2018-11-20}}</ref> and [[Amnesty International]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Amnesty urges world’s leading digital tourism companies to end listings in Israeli settlements | work=[[The Washington Post]] | first=Ruth | last=Eglash | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/01/30/amnesty-urges-worlds-leading-digital-tourism-companies-end-listings-israeli-settlements/ | date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> The move was criticized by the Israeli Tourism Minister<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tarnopolsky |first1=Noga |title=Israel reacts with anger to Airbnb removing rental listings in West Bank settlements |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-airbnb-westbank-20181120-story.html |publisher=The Los Angeles Times |date=2018-11-20}}</ref> and the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]],<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airbnb-west-bank-20181119-story.html Airbnb won't operate in Israel's West Bank, prompting calls for a boycott], Los Angeles Times, 19 November 2018</ref> which decried the move as [[antisemitism]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Tovah Lazaroff |title=AirBNB Caves in to BDS, Removes West Bank Settlement listings |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Airbnb-to-stop-operating-in-West-Bank-settlements-572276 |accessdate=November 20, 2018 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=November 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Isabel Kershner |authorlink=Isabel Kershner |title=Airbnb Bans Listings in Israeli Settlements on West Bank | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/world/middleeast/airbnb-west-bank.html |work=[[The New York Times]] | date=November 19, 2018}}</ref> A [[class action]] suit in the Jerusalem district court alleging discrimination based on place of residence was filed against Airbnb by affected property owners.<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Class-action-suit-filed-in-Jerusalem-court-against-Airbnb-572624 Class Action Suit Filed in Jerusalem Court against Airbnb], Jerusalem Post, 23 November 2018</ref><ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/israeli-settlers-sue-airbnb-for-delisting-west-bank-homes/a-46433720 Israeli settlers sue Airbnb for delisting West Bank homes], Deutsche Welle, 24 November 2018</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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