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Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

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Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#11

Post by indiefan »

Meh. I'm sure when this is all over, AirBnb will have put some measures in place to add additional security (from a pr perspective at least). Really, nothing short of legitimate insurance is going to make using a service like this "safe" (id's are easy enough to steal/fake) and I'm sure that the people likely to use something like this (who were already ignoring the common sense dangers involved) are not going to be deterred by ej's story (she claims on her blog to have been the type of person to leap first and wait for a net to appear).

In the end, many people who were never going to use AirBnB to begin with will feel more certain in their (probably wise) decision, and many new people who will be open to the idea will now have heard of it for the first time.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#12

Post by mattdeboard »

wccrawford wrote: post #5
mbreese wrote: post #3

Any of Airbnb's competitors are going to use this to their advantage. Rightfully so too... I didn't even know about Roomorama until this story. The biggest part of the story though was thrown in at the end: The harrowing story of the Airbnb user EJ prompted Ms. En Teo to reach out to her competitors in order to set a precedent for sharing information about sketchy users, so if she gets a report about misbehavior she…

They have to be careful, though, as this kind of thing can be considered libel or slander if not 100% true, and collusion even if it is true. Having an industry-wide blacklist will almost definitely run afoul of the law.

Internet attorneys seem to love turning libel laws into this blanket prohibition on ever saying anything negative about someone or something that is not "100% true" and verifiable.

This doesn't even touch libel laws, and it certainly wouldn't be a _group_ culpability if there's one purveyor out there intentionally spreading malicious lies about some private person.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#13

Post by r00fus »

almightygod wrote: post #4

When the major media picks up this whole rent-a-room-to-a-stranger-fiasco the bad guys will be AirBNB and the good guys will be the roomorama (and other competitors that capitalize on it)

No, when mass media picks it up, the hotel industry will be made to look like knights in shining armor... the hotel lobby is big and powerful and media is corrupt.

AirBnB's fiasco is not a long-term benefit for their direct competitors either.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#14

Post by melvinmt »

almightygod wrote: post #8

Unfortunately as good as the intent is, a malicious user with devious intentions can simply forge an ID or use one of the many IDs they've already stolen from their unsuspecting AirBNB hosts.

I believe the best solution for fraud is to require the user to take a webcam shot of yourself while holding the ID next to your head. I had to do that once to verify my identity.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#15

Post by almightygod »

r00fus wrote: post #13
almightygod wrote: post #4

When the major media picks up this whole rent-a-room-to-a-stranger-fiasco the bad guys will be AirBNB and the good guys will be the roomorama (and other competitors that capitalize on it)

No, when mass media picks it up, the hotel industry will be made to look like knights in shining armor... the hotel lobby is big and powerful and media is corrupt. AirBnB's fiasco is not a long-term benefit for their direct competitors either.

I'm commenting more on the story the media will run then the end result. I agree that the end result will likely benefit lobbyists and hurt any consumer-to-consumer services.

Is that bad though? If people don't trust this type of service, why do we act like thats a bad thing and hotels are evil for it?

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#16

Post by joelhooks »

I am a fairly frequent renter through these types of services (mostly use VRBO) because we have way too many kids and hotels are way too expensive.

Nobody has /ever/ asked me for ID. "Key is in the lockbox, here is the code! Have fun!" is the typical greeting.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#17

Post by AndyJPartridge »

mbreese wrote: post #3

Any of Airbnb's competitors are going to use this to their advantage. Rightfully so too... I didn't even know about Roomorama until this story. The biggest part of the story though was thrown in at the end: The harrowing story of the Airbnb user EJ prompted Ms. En Teo to reach out to her competitors in order to set a precedent for sharing information about sketchy users, so if she gets a report about misbehavior she…

It's a good idea, yes.

But in this case, and probably any that follow it, it's extremely unlikely they used/will use their own details or credit cards.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#18

Post by nanijoe »

untog wrote: post #2

Expect to see a lot more of this. AirBnb are vulnerable right now, and in a very competitive marketplace. They really need to step up their efforts to contain the issue, or competitors are going to walk all over them.

I for one expect AirBnB to come out winners after the dust settles. I don't see their competitors' names on the cover of FT, and the way human memory works, people will soon forget the negative reason why they originally heard of AirBnB.

This of course supposes that the AirBnB guys handle the rest of this right.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#19

Post by mattw »

melvinmt wrote: post #14
almightygod wrote: post #8

Unfortunately as good as the intent is, a malicious user with devious intentions can simply forge an ID or use one of the many IDs they've already stolen from their unsuspecting AirBNB hosts.

I believe the best solution for fraud is to require the user to take a webcam shot of yourself while holding the ID next to your head. I had to do that once to verify my identity.

The effort required to photoshop such an image (or paste your own picture on top of a stolen ID) is trivial compared to the effort required to forge or steal the ID in the first place. Thus, I don't understand how this would be anything other than an inconvenience to honest users.

Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'

#20

Post by Jun8 »

r00fus wrote: post #13
almightygod wrote: post #4

When the major media picks up this whole rent-a-room-to-a-stranger-fiasco the bad guys will be AirBNB and the good guys will be the roomorama (and other competitors that capitalize on it)

No, when mass media picks it up, the hotel industry will be made to look like knights in shining armor... the hotel lobby is big and powerful and media is corrupt. AirBnB's fiasco is not a long-term benefit for their direct competitors either.

Spot on observation. So, it is idiotic for the competitors to hit on AirBnB, since that is the biggest company in their budding niche and if that falls, well, nothing will remain. They should all try to minimize the damage to their biz model.

EDIT: Let me elaborate: Firms compete among themselves in a given field and all's fair in this competition. However, when the whole industry is threatened, you should gather forces, or else not to try to make your competitor look bad, because that will rub on you. Well-known example is the tobacco industry (their PR is relatively unified). If the consumer's trust in the whole industry is shaken (as in AirBnB) then it doesn't matter you are better than your competitors in this or that regard, people don't care.

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