Airbnb Debuts ‘Anti-Party’ Tech That Predicts If You’ll Be Having A Wild Night

If you were thinking of renting an Airbnb for one last summer throwdown, be sure you’re hosting an authorized party, or the company’s new “anti-party” technology may just put a stop to the festivities. 

This update comes as the firm announced in June that its temporary ban on unauthorized parties—big bashes held without the knowledge or consent of Hosts—was going to be a codified policy. 

It’s no big secret why most homeowners wouldn’t want ragers being thrown at their estate without permission, not to mention the risks of property damage and neighbor complaints that come with such events. 

As such, Airbnb is now introducing tools in the United States and Canada to crack down on “potentially high-risk” renters, and prevent those users from taking advantage of the platform. 

This will involve looking into an individual’s positive reviews (or lack thereof), how long they’ve been on the application, the length of the planned trip, distance from the listing, and many other factors. 

“The primary objective is attempting to reduce the ability of bad actors to throw unauthorized parties, which may negatively impact our Hosts, neighbors, and the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement. 

It appears Airbnb has been trailing this suite of measures in Australia since October 2021, and has seen a 35% drop in the occurrences of unauthorized parties. Hailing the effort a success, the brand will now be expanding the program nationwide. 

So what happens if you’re flagged by the system? Well, even if you’re blocked from booking an entire home, you’ll still be able to rent a private room or a hotel room instead.

The firm assured it will be transparent with users about the results of this testing phase and any future bans.

Of course, no system is perfect, with the company continuing to partner with communities and its Neighborhood Support Line to receive feedback about any unauthorized parties in progress or other concerns.

[via The Guardian and Airbnb, cover image via Airbnb]