The short-term apartment rental service has promised to invest in new technology to crack down on modern slavery and traffickers using the company’s properties as “pop-up brothels,” The Telegraph reported.
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Operating in some 200 countries, Airbnb insists that it is essential to root out modern slavery as well as the sexual exploitation of women and children from the hospitality sector.
"We're taking a modern approach to combating modern slavery by leveraging the innovation of the sharing economy to better spot and stop potential exploitation ahead of time," said Nick Shapiro, global head of trust and risk management at Airbnb.
The company will also rely on data and insight from Polaris, a charity which runs the US National Human Trafficking Hotline, to “screen” every host and guest as well as to check photos for any signs of exploitation.
"Exploitation and trafficking are still all too common in today's society, but we are eager to use our global reach to help assist in the effort to end it once and for all," Shapiro added.
As early as in 2014 the New York Post reported that prostitutes had allegedly rented Airbnb apartments in Manhattan as brothels to save money on hotel rates.