After white supremacists rented Airbnbs before storming the Capitol, the company is canceling all reservations ahead of the Inauguration. After years of community activists fighting for platform accountability, companies are finally recognizing that they are never neutral—they make decisions every day about who to let use their services. Organized people power keeps us safe, not Big Tech, online and offline. CityLab takes a look at the repercussions and quotes MediaJustice Executive Director, Steven Renderos.
“[White supremacists staying in the area] is much more than just about the violent threat it presents to the Capitol, but also to the people surrounding this historically Black city…It’s a courageous move by Airbnb to ban the people involved in the violent attack on the Capitol. It’s significant that Big Tech right now in this moment is reacting to a violent insurrection by taking steps to take accountability for the mistakes they’ve made in not taking these issues more seriously before.”
Steven Renderos, via Bloomberg CityLab
