Two years of progress with our Trust and Safety Advisory Coalition

As a platform built on trust, Airbnb is committed to continually evolving our industry-first policies, products and support to promote community safety.

Having subject matter experts at the table helps strengthen our efforts, which is why, in 2022, we launched the Trust and Safety Advisory Coalition (TSAC). This coalition brings together more than 20 US-based and international organizations with deep expertise in trust and safety matters relevant to Airbnb, like online, home and child safety, with the goal of working closely with our internal teams on proactive solutions to support positive stays.

Two years since its foundation, our TSAC partners have supported, advised and consulted on over 45 initiatives at Airbnb, leading to improvements to our products, policies, customer support and practical education and training resources for our hosts, guests and employees.

In collaboration with our TSAC partners, some of the progress we’ve made includes: 

Resources for our community

We’ve launched new and refreshed resources aimed at equipping hosts and guests with information on important online and offline safety topics, with tips and guidance provided by our TSAC partners. Some of these include best practices on home safety, preparedness recommendations for weather emergencies and natural disasters, carbon monoxide and pool safety tips, and advice for consumers on avoiding online scams.

Safety-focused policies and products

Collaboration between our TSAC partners and internal product and support teams has led to new and updated safety-focused products: our dedicated solo traveler safety feature is now available to guests in over 50 languages, our app-based Safety Center has been redesigned to make it easier for users to navigate, and our 24/7 community support call prompts have undergone improvements to increase efficiency in routing safety-related concerns to our dedicated Safety team.

In addition, this coalition has reviewed and advised on a number of our platform policies, as well as the workflows utilized by our Community Support teams, to help ensure they remain fit for purpose. 

Community awareness

TSAC partners have supported efforts to raise awareness among our community of global issues like human trafficking. Expert-led in-person sessions, virtual webinars and online resources aim to empower hosts and guests to know the signs to spot potential trafficking and how to report concerns. Online resources in support of global efforts to combat human trafficking and exploitation are available to our community in over 50 languages, alongside localized resources for hosts and guests, such as ahead of major events, in cities like Las Vegas, Paris and Cartagena.

With the input of our partners at TSAC, Airbnb last year also became the first home sharing platform to sign The Code by ECPAT and commit to supporting efforts to combat child exploitation.

Law enforcement support

With the support of TSAC partners with deep knowledge of law enforcement, our dedicated law enforcement team has reached out to agencies globally to educate on Airbnb’s support for relevant criminal investigations through channels like our law enforcement portal, and our policies and procedures for legal disclosures. Airbnb has also attended and participated in a number of law enforcement events over the past two years to help foster cooperation.

“What’s different about the TSAC is that you put a problem in front of us, and we all come at the problem together. There’s an interaction there that doesn’t happen at the usual external gatherings. It’s an exercise that benefits the greater community and Airbnb.”

Jim Emerson, Vice President, National White Collar Crime Center

“Airbnb is doing a really good job and I have been consistently impressed. Changes in the Help Center or build outs of other functionalities have been really quick to be implemented from our conversations. The group has been responsive and thoughtful and brought up good questions with us, so the prioritization of safety is really clear.”

Erica Olsen, National Network to End Domestic Violence

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the TSAC, and they consistently bring immense value to Airbnb. Being able to turn to trust and safety experts who not only have a deep understanding of these issues and Airbnb’s commitment to addressing them but who we have also built trusted relationships with, gives us the confidence that we are investing in what’s best for our community.”

Tara Bunch, Global Head of Operations at Airbnb

We believe there is no finish line to this important work. Last year, we welcomed more organizations to our TSAC, enhancing the expertise available to our teams, and we’ll continue working to strengthen our platform and this coalition in counsel with our valued partners.