
Airbnb Project Lighthouse Methodology [pdf] - jamesmiller5
https://news.airbnb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/Project-Lighthouse-Airbnb-2020-06-12.pdf
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toomim
Here is the announcement Airbnb is sending to users:

    
    
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Subject: _How you can help us fight discrimination_

Now more than ever, we need to fight for equality and justice. That’s why we
recently announced Project Lighthouse—an initiative to uncover, measure, and
overcome discrimination when booking or hosting a home on Airbnb. We’d like to
use information from hosts and guests in the US to help, so we want to make
sure you understand how it works.

Here’s what you need to know:

• _We’ll only use information you already share_

This project will address discrimination that's based on perception—so we’ll
use first names and profile photos from hosts and guests to help us understand
the perceived race someone might associate with them.

• _We’ll use it to uncover patterns of discrimination_

We’ll use this information to help us understand when and where racial
discrimination is happening on our platform. Any insights will be used to help
develop new features and policies that create a more equitable experience for
everyone.

• _Information won’t be tied to your specific account_

We know your privacy is important, so we analyze trends in bulk and Airbnb
won’t associate perceived race information with your account. We won’t use
this information in marketing or advertising, and it will only be used for
anti-discrimination work.

• _We consulted with and solicited input from leading civil rights and privacy
organizations to guide us_

We know how delicate this work is—so we developed this work with support and
input from leading civil rights organizations like Color Of Change and Upturn,
along with privacy organizations like Center for Democracy & Technology, to
make sure our approach is both thoughtful and respectful of your privacy.

You can opt out in your Privacy Settings if you don’t want to participate. And
though you can change your mind at any time, your first name and profile photo
may be used if you don’t opt out by August 31, 2020.

Read our frequently asked questions:
[https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/a-new-
way-w...](https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/a-new-way-were-
fighting-discrimination-on-airbnb-201)

By including your information, you’re helping us identify and prevent
discrimination from happening on Airbnb—and you’re taking part in an
initiative to better understand how and where discrimination happens on
platforms like ours. This is an important step for our industry, and we’re
making the methodology publicly available to other companies who want to join
in the fight.

In solidarity,

The Airbnb team

