Would You Pass the Airbnb Psychopath Test?
I hope you don’t drink or smoke.
Dear reader, I write to you from an Airbnb in Seville.
As such, I can proudly, triumphantly claim that I must have passed the Airbnb psychopath test.
As such, some unkind observers might claim that said test must be mighty forgiving in its definition of ‘psychopath’.
Yes, this week we learned that Airbnb owns software that can perform background checks on guests to determine the likelihood that they will trash their host’s home.
A patent published last year in the US reveals that Airbnb can go beyond the usual credit and background checks in a number of invasive ways. Of course, a patent is not necessarily a product, but it at least tells us what the company is capable of.
Airbnb acquired the software when it bought the background check start-up Trooly in 2017. Airbnb has confirmed that it has continued its work on this particular software since the acquisition of Trooly.
This came to light this week after a number of scandals involving Airbnb. Some hosts have tried to sue the platform due to damage caused to their home by Airbnb guests. Vice also reported on a nationwide scam that exploits some weaknesses in the Airbnb guest-host dynamics.
