Airbnb to permanently ban white supremacists from availing services

'We make all our users sign pledge that they will not discriminate, exhibit hatred', says co-founder

Airbnb has taken measures to ban white nationalists from making reservations and hiring out flats through the platform.

According to Airbnb’s co-founder, white supremacists will be permanently blocked from using the service. After finding out about the violence instigated by extremists in the Charlottesville, US, the company’s co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk said that some reservations were cancelled by Airbnb. Talking to Bloomberg TV, he said that the “hate displayed this week has been shocking”.



“We make every one of our users sign a pledge when they sign up that they will not discriminate and exhibit hatred”, he said. “Whenever we become aware of such examples they are permanently banned from platform.”

Currently the chief strategy officer of the property-rental service, Blecharczyk spoke about the startup’s new pivot into Asia, as the continent’s growing market is the biggest opportunity “on the planet”. He revealed that the reason for expanding operations in Asia is that the region has a growing number of easy travel connections and “the highest percentage of millennials in this region, more than any other part of the world” who are tech savvy and proficient in English.

Airbnb working on device that will let travellers navigate without internet access

In June, Airbnb penetrated the market in Japan, where home-sharing has now been legalised for a maximum of 180 days. The company plans to intensify investment in China, which features a growing middle class more likely to travel.

However, as compared to Europe, the laws and regulations in Asian countries pose a challenge for Airbnb. For instance, it is illegal to rent a place in Singapore for less than six months.

When quizzed about the potential barriers of entry into southeast Asia, Blecharczyk said it was a waiting game  to “play out over time”.

This story originally appeared on The Independent.