Airbnb in Oregon fights discrimination and racial bias by hiding the names of guests

Airbnb hosts in the state of Oregon will no longer be able to see guest first names before approving of a stay. Beginning Jan. 31, only the initials of guests will be visible until the booking is confirmed.

The new rule will be available for at least two years.

The state-specific law comes as three Black women from Portland, Oregon suggested that the site's display of names and photographs allows for discrimination to occur. In 2019, Airbnb settled the suit.

“While we have made progress, we have much more to do and continue working with our Hosts and guests, and with civil rights leaders to make our community more inclusive,” Airbnb said.

In general, Airbnb has been reluctant to remove names and photographs. But the platform has been accused of discrimination in the past. In 2016, the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack made waves on social media, where Black users shared incidents of racism and bias on the platform. For instance, some explained that they were refused as guests due to their names.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Mashable has reached out to Airbnb to ask if there are any wider plans to roll out this feature, and we will update this article if we hear back.