I think it's more likely that Airbnb is indeed virtue signaling. Pretty much every corporation is virtue signaling these days, so I don't see what conclusion you can draw from the use of that phrase itself. It's an accurate descriptor.
A user can care about discrimination and still object to policies that overtly erode user privacy at the same time as they show solidarity with a certain movement.
Ultimately it's my name and my likeness, and I don't want it to be shared without my knowledge and consent. A company can't say "but I'm fighting discrimination!" and expect me to be cool with the violation of my privacy.
Not to mention that the data will be used to classify users based on race, defining people by their appearance rather than their actions, beliefs, and character. There is no guarantee that such data will never be used against the very same users it purports to protect.
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I think it's more likely that Airbnb is indeed virtue signaling. Pretty much every corporation is virtue signaling these days, so I don't see what conclusion you can draw from the use of that phrase itself. It's an accurate descriptor.
A user can care about discrimination and still object to policies that overtly erode user privacy at the same time as they show solidarity with a certain movement.
Ultimately it's my name and my likeness, and I don't want it to be shared without my knowledge and consent. A company can't say "but I'm fighting discrimination!" and expect me to be cool with the violation of my privacy.
Not to mention that the data will be used to classify users based on race, defining people by their appearance rather than their actions, beliefs, and character. There is no guarantee that such data will never be used against the very same users it purports to protect.