Airbnb starts verifying user profiles
Airbnb, which helps people find vacation rentals all around the world, today will start verifying the identity of all users by asking for their real-life papers, the company announced on Tuesday.
Airbnb is asking both travelers and those who have property listings to provide two forms of identification for a new verification process. The company will take people's IDs from Airbnb reviews and social media sites, like LinkedIn or Facebook, and will ask users to fill in information only they would know or scan a photo ID to confirm a match.
For now, the company plans to require 25 percent of its users in the U.S., chosen at random, to complete the process. It intends to expand the requirement worldwide so that all Airbnb members will be verified.
