President Donald Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.
Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images Airbnb said on Monday that it was scrutinizing its rentals in the Washington, DC area to ensure that no members of hate groups use their platform during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20. The move is partof the short term rental house company effort to combat violence and discrimination gr oups on its site.
Airbnb also said it would ban anyone identified as involved in the Capitol siege last week. On January 6, a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed into the federal building and forced members of Congress to lock up. Five people died from the attack.
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Subscribe now for the day's most interesting reviews, news and videos. "When we learn through the media or law enforcement sources the names of people who have been confirmed responsible for violent criminal activity on the United States Capitol on January 6, we are investigating whether the people named have an account on Airbnb, "declared the company in a blog post . "If people have an Airbnb account, we take action, including banning them from using Airbnb. "
Airbnb has been fighting discrimination and hate groups on its platform for years. At the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. In 2017, the company banned attendees from its site after that discovered that some of them were having parties in their locations.
Since then, Airbnb has systematically removed individuals associated with violent hate groups from its site. Last week, before the Capitol attack, he canceled reservations and banned accounts associated with extremist groups like the Proud Boys. Airbnb also said on Monday that it withhold financial donations from those politicians who voted against certification of Biden's election.
"Airbnb strongly condemns last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol and efforts to undermine our democratic process," the company said in a instruction .
To have an Airbnb account, all hosts and guests must accept its " non-discrimination policy . "If users decline, Airbnb deactivates their accounts. As of 2016, the company has banned about 1 , 4 million people for refusing to accept politics.
In the run-up to the presidential inauguration, Airbnb is taking several additional steps to keep its site free from hate groups. On Monday, he announced a Capitol Security Plan, a seven-part strategy designed to help protect its users in Washington, DC.
These steps include banning those involved in the headquarters of the Capitol Hill and a thorough review of all of its reservations in the DC area.Airbnb also requires all new customers to verify their identity and go through a background check.Additionally, the company advises DC guests that if it learns that they are involved in hate groups or plans of violence, it could take legal action against them.
