Community Commitment

Overview

Marketplaces amplify bias because decisions are often made on limited profile signals. Airbnb requires users to accept a Community Commitment: “I agree to treat everyone…regardless of their race…gender identity…with respect, and without judgment or bias” (help page). The company documents that new users must agree during sign-up, and accounts are deactivated if they decline (policy operations). Lesson: norms become real when they are enforced as a gate, not buried as “guidelines.”

Why it matters

If discrimination is treated as a “community issue” instead of a product requirement, marginalized travelers experience exclusion at the point of need: lodging, safety, and mobility. Making participation conditional sets expectations early and supports consistent enforcement later. It also signals to would-be discriminators that the platform is not neutral about harm. For teams building two-sided networks, ship the behavior baseline into onboarding, then pair it with reporting, enforcement, and ongoing measurement to prevent policy from becoming theater.