Airbnb To Screen U.S. Capital Area Bookings, Turn Away Known Rioters

Online accommodation reservation service Airbnb will ban bookings in Washington D.C., by anyone confirmed by law enforcement to have participated in "violent criminal activity at the United States Capitol" Jan. 6 .

It will step up screening for potential guest connections to hate groups.

More than 170 suspects who took part in the Capitol riots are under scrutiny and U.S. officials are now planning charges of sedition and conspiracy, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.

Airbnb in a statement earlier said its initial actions were aimed at safety ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden by using "trust and safety" guidelines developed after violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

"This includes cross-referencing the Jan. 6 arrest logs of D.C. Metro Police," San Francisco-headquartered Airbnb said in its statement. "If the individuals have an Airbnb account, we take action - which includes banning them from using Airbnb."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other security agencies have already issued warnings of possible armed protests across the U.S. ahead of Biden's inauguration. Airbnb is reminding hosts in the D.C. area through email and app notifications that if they suspect violations of the company's protocols they can contact its staff by calling an "urgent safety" hotline. 

Airbnb has in the past removed people from its app who have ties with hate groups - especially ahead of specific U.S. events.

The company, which listed on the Nasdaq Dec. 10 with an initial valuation of $86.5 billion, said it wouldn't give political donations to the Republicans who attempted to block the validation of the results of the U.S. election.

Airbnb's political action arm donated $867,000 to candidates and political parties in the 2020 election campaign, based on data by Open Secrets, which keeps track of campaign finance donations.