This should be their slogan. It minds me of Avis' old slogan "We try harder" (because we're second).
Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
21–30 of 99 posts
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#22There is no such thing as bad press, and AirBnB is only going to get more exposure and users from this.
Case in point : Godaddy http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2822946
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#23Expect 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.
Even if they don't, they'll come out stronger.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#24Honest question: how is Airbnb or any of their competitors different than vacation rentals?
You rent a house for a week when the owners aren't using it. Often the key's in a combo box or they mail it to you. The only real protection is a security deposit which you pay upfront. The concept has been around for ages.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Requiring IDs like this might actually facilitate ID theft because criminals might create fake host listings and then request all sorts of information like this in order to steal identities. Much easier than breaking into houses to steal them.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Requiring IDs like this might actually facilitate ID theft because criminals could create fake host listings and then request all sorts of information like this in order to steal identities. Much easier than breaking into houses to steal them.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Even if they don't, they'll come out stronger.
That is easily the silliest thing I've heard about this so far, and this is after reading AirBnB's PR statement.
If they fuck this up, they won't "come out stronger", they'll come out with a sufficiently heavy PR backlash that people won't use them anymore. And that'll be that. As it stands now, the only thing people are hearing are negative things about AirBnB, and unless they take huge steps to fix that, there's going to be a lot of people who won't touch them with a 10 foot pole.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#28I 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.
I've been asked for an ID for both vacation rentals (through VRBO) and from most places overseas through AirBnB. Each time it was when there were some valuable items inside.
In fact, every time I've gotten a place through AirBnB, the owner met me in person. Of course, I always rent higher priced places (I look for places nicer than a hotel for the same price).
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#29There is no such thing as bad press, and AirBnB is only going to get more exposure and users from this. Case in point : Godaddy http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2822946
Hardly a valid comparison. The CEO shooting an elephant has zero to do with the product GoDaddy offers, so there was no way that the negative PR would end up affecting perception of their actual product.
The AirBnb fiasco is totally different- it's not the errant actions of a CEO (although they hardly helped), it's an exposure of danger in the core of AirBnb's product.
Re: Airbnb Competitor Checks IDs: 'We Don't Want to Trade Security for Volume'
#30Honest question: how is Airbnb or any of their competitors different than vacation rentals? You rent a house for a week when the owners aren't using it. Often the key's in a combo box or they mail it to you. The only real protection is a security deposit which you pay upfront. The concept has been around for ages.
They aren't, it's just a "smaller" scale using the internet.
The business idea is proven, AirBnB is just leveraging technology to stake out a significant market share.
Nothing wrong with this at all.