Avery Hartmans of Business Insider is reporting online travel accomodations site Airbnb has hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to “craft a world-class anti-discrimination policy.” Airbnb has been in the news recently because of research findings that Airbnb hosts actively discriminate against people of color seeking accommodations on the popular website.
In response to the findings, Bajan American Rohan Gilkes founded Innclusive.com, a competitor that strives to make accommodations available to all people and discourages discrimination in the process. Gilkes started the business after negative experiences with trying to acquire accommodations on Airbnb, sparking the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack.
Airbnb announced in early June that it would review the platform to help prevent discrimination from hosts against guests. CEO Brian Chesky acknowledged that the problem is worrisome for the company and discussed it at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference last week, thus taking concrete steps to actively work against the issue. Hartmans reports Holder issued the following statement:
“‘I’m looking forward to working with Airbnb to develop and implement a world-class anti-discrimination policy,’ Holder said in a statement. ‘Airbnb is committed to building a community where everyone can belong, no matter who they are or what they look like. I’m eager to help them craft policies that will be the model for companies who share Airbnb’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.'”
Read more at Business Insider.
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