Airbnb has removed more than 60 accounts of individuals who were identified in a massive data dump of the online neo-Nazi group Iron March.
The firm launched a comprehensive effort to fight bias and discrimination three years ago and is now actively banning hosts who are not willing to comply – it has terminated 1.2 million accounts since the roll out.
Airbnb told DailyMail.com that banning the Iron March members ‘was a no-brainer’ because ‘anyone sympathetic to neo-Nazi ideology and violent extremism has absolutely no place.’
Iron March is an online site that allows people from all over the world connect in a forum-like setting and its members have been linked to murders and terror attacks across Western countries.
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Airbnb has removed more than 60 accounts of individuals who were identified in a massive data dump of the online neo-Nazi group Iron March. The firm launched a comprehensive effort to fight bias and discrimination three years ago and is now actively banning hosts who are not willing to comply – it has terminated 1.2 million accounts since the roll out
In November, anonymous hackers infiltrated the site and published emails, IP addresses, user names and private messages found in the forum.
Iron March has been out of commission since 2017, but the sensitive data was still available – much of which belonged to both ex and currently military personal.
And Airbnb has found some of the members were hosts on its platform.
‘This was a no-brainer – when we see people on our platform pursuing behavior antithetical to our Community Commitment, we take action to prioritize the safety of our community,’ an Airbnb spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
‘Through our trust and safety systems, we are continuously seeking to proactively identify those who could put our hosts and guests at risk.
Airbnb also removed accounts of those using the service to book stays to participate in the Unite the Right Rally in 2017 (pictured) that took place in Charlottesville, Virgina
‘Anyone sympathetic to neo-Nazi ideology and violent extremism has absolutely no place on Airbnb, and our community is a better place without them.’
The firm added a ‘Community Commitment’ in 2016 that requires all hosts and guests to affirm that they will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
For those who decline to pledge to the policy will not be allowed to host or book using the site.
‘Since launching our Community Commitment, we’ve removed nearly 1.2 million accounts who declined this pledge,’ the spokesperson noted.
Airbnb also removed accounts of those using the service to book stays to participate in the Unite the Right Rally in 2017 that took place in Charlottesville, Virgina.
Many of the listings were identified on Daily Stormer, which is a far-right neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and Holocaust denial commentary and message board website.
‘We’ve taken over all of the large AirBnbs in a particular area,’ wrote a user named SCnazi on a Daily Stormer message board prior to the rally.
‘So far, we’re close to filling our 7th house. We have 80-90 people, and are a mix of various AltRight groups.’
Iron March is an online site that allows people from all over the world connect in a forum-like setting and its members have been linked to murders and terror attacks across Western countries (pictured is a discussion found in the data dump from November)
‘We’ve set up ‘Nazi Uber’ and the ‘Hate Van’ to help in moving our people around as needed, esp. between our off-site locations and Charlottesville.’
Airbnb said it booted a number of rally attendees because they ‘would be pursuing behavior on the platform that would be antithetical’ to the community policy,’ which requires ‘those who are members of the Airbnb community accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age.’
Michael Signer, the former governor of Charlottesville, told DailyMail.com: ‘I applaud Airbnb’s decision regarding Iron March.’
‘Airbnb’s decision builds on its past interventions against violent extremism, like banning users headed to the American Renaissance Conference in Tennessee in 2019, and the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017.’
‘These decisions exemplify the potential for leadership among tech companies today, who can and should act to move the Internet away from the ‘wild west’ model, where anything goes and where bad behavior and even violence are rewarded, toward a community where social values of tolerance, pluralism, and respect are once again honored.’