Latest news with #CommunityStandards
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
Airbnb host cancels booking after learning guest is Welsh
An Airbnb host in Manchester has sparked widespread outrage after allegedly cancelling a booking solely because the guest was from Wales. Jemma Louise, from Wales, had booked the stay via the platform but received a cancellation message shortly after confirming. In a now-viral video, Jemma shows screenshots of her chat with the host, who plainly states, 'It's because you're from Wales.' The short clip has since blown up online, with comments flooding in from angry viewers across the UK. Many accused the host of outright discrimination, with some urging Jemma to report the incident to Airbnb and even the Equality and Human Rights Commission. One user said: 'Hope no one ever books with her again.' Others, including several Welsh commenters, reacted with a mix of disbelief and humour. 'People are actually insane,' one wrote. 'TF you mean 'it's because you're from Wales'? Babes, we're on a floating rock.' One user added: 'Imagine if she knew you were from Bettws too, you'd have been double cancelled.' As the clip continues to be shared widely, many online are calling for better protections against location-based discrimination on rental platforms. After being contacted by the South Wales Argus, an Airbnb spokesperson issued the following statement: 'Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter.' They added that the company's Open Doors initiative provides 'timely, personalised and hands-on support' to anyone who feels discriminated against while using the platform. To use Airbnb, hosts and guests must agree to its non-discrimination policy and Community Standards, which require users to treat each other with respect. The company confirmed it investigates all reports and may take action ranging from education and warnings to permanent removal.
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Airbnb host cancels booking after learning guest is Welsh
Jemma Louise, from Wales, had booked the stay via the platform but received a cancellation message shortly after confirming. In a now-viral video, Jemma shows screenshots of her chat with the host, who plainly states, 'It's because you're from Wales.' The short clip has since blown up online, with comments flooding in from angry viewers across the UK. Many accused the host of outright discrimination, with some urging Jemma to report the incident to Airbnb and even the Equality and Human Rights Commission. One user said: 'Hope no one ever books with her again.' Others, including several Welsh commenters, reacted with a mix of disbelief and humour. 'People are actually insane,' one wrote. 'TF you mean 'it's because you're from Wales'? Babes, we're on a floating rock.' One user added: 'Imagine if she knew you were from Bettws too, you'd have been double cancelled.' As the clip continues to be shared widely, many online are calling for better protections against location-based discrimination on rental platforms. After being contacted by the South Wales Argus, an Airbnb spokesperson issued the following statement: 'Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter.' They added that the company's Open Doors initiative provides 'timely, personalised and hands-on support' to anyone who feels discriminated against while using the platform. To use Airbnb, hosts and guests must agree to its non-discrimination policy and Community Standards, which require users to treat each other with respect. The company confirmed it investigates all reports and may take action ranging from education and warnings to permanent removal.
Hamilton Spectator
29-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Callander considers allowing backyard chickens
Callander resident Sheridan Carr hopes one day the chickens will come home to roost — in the backyard. Carr appeared before council during its June 24 meeting requesting the municipality consider allowing residents to have backyard chickens within residential zones. Her presentation was well-researched and offered details of how other municipalities went about the process of allowing coops in residential areas. She noted, 'Backyard chickens have a lot to offer the community, from nutritional benefits to education. Other communities that have changed their laws on backyard chickens see the benefits they have brought to their community, with little upkeep or resources required.' Council was interested in the idea and directed municipal staff to prepare a report on the topic. At that time, council will begin discussions on whether or not to allow poultry in residential area. One point everyone seemed to agree on was that roosters would not be allowed. Too noisy. As for hens, Carr explained they are quiet birds, and the municipality's current noise by-laws would be suitable to cover any concerns. As for concerns about stinky coops, Carr noted the town already has a Community Standards by-law, which includes bad odours emanating from properties. 'It is time to give people more control over their food choices and make sustainable decisions by revising the by-laws to allow backyard chickens,' Carr said. See: Meet North Bay's backyard chicken outlaws Many municipalities allow chickens to be kept in backyards, including Toronto and Kingston, which Carr cited in her presentation. She mentioned those cities required coops to stand certain distances away from fences and dwellings, and the number of hens was usually capped around four to six. However, each by-law varies. Carr also mentioned the importance of including within the by-law a section detailing that a renter must get permission from a landlord to have a coop. She suggest a yearly permit of $35 for chicken owners, which is in line with other municipalities. Carr offered to create a web page or an information package for residents interested in keeping chickens, if the municipality decided to allow that. The issue is set to return to council at its first August meeting. David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
11-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Posting about the L.A. protests? Apparently that can get you banned from Facebook
Apparently, acknowledging the existence of violence can get you kicked off Facebook. Rebecca Solnit 's account on Meta's social media network has been suspended, the San Francisco author and activist posted to Bluesky on Monday, June 10. 'Facebook decided to suspend my account because of a piece (below) I wrote Monday about violence which in no way advocates for it (but does point out who is violent in the current ruckus),' Solnit wrote. She included a screenshot of Facebook's explanation of its decision, which reads, 'Your account, or activity on it, doesn't follow our Community Standards on account integrity.' Solnit did not explain how, beyond timing, she believed that the essay in question, 'Some Notes on the City of Angels and the Nature of Violence,' written on her independent site Meditations in an Emergency, was the reason for her ouster. Meta did not immediately respond to the Chronicle's request for comment. 'I think maybe it's begun, the bigger fiercer backlash against the Trump Administration,' her piece begins, referring to the clashes in Los Angeles between protesters of President Donald Trump's immigration policies and the California National Guard deployed by Trump against city and state officials' wishes. 'All they can do is punish and incite, and I hope that some of the protesters are telling them they're violating their mission and maybe the law,' the essay continues. 'We are escalating because they are escalating.' The 'Men Explain Things to Me' author goes on to question longtime right-wing and media narratives that stereotype protesters as violent while giving law enforcement a pass for much more harm to people and property. 'One thing to remember is that they'll claim we're violent no matter what; the justification for this ongoing attack on immigrants and people who resemble immigrants in being brown is the idea that America is suffering an invasion and in essence only a certain kind of white person belongs here,' she writes. The piece never advocates meeting fire with fire. Instead, it argues for a defiant yet nonviolent response. 'I believe ardently that nonviolent resistance is in the big picture and the long term the most effective strategy, but that doesn't mean it must be polite, placid, or please our opponents,' she writes. Solnit concludes by enumerating the kinds of violence the Trump administration has perpetrated — against the environment, against the First Amendment, against women, against his personal enemies, against the very notion of truth. 'It is up to us to defeat that agenda,' she writes. Solnit said she appealed the suspension. On Wednesday, June 11, she shared a screenshot of Facebook's response saying it decided to disable her account: 'It still doesn't follow our Community Standards on account integrity. You cannot request another review of this decision.' Solnit noted that she doesn't think a Meta higher-up has it in for her, despite the popularity of her account. She cited 'inane algorithms that often delete posts' as the likeliest explanation. (In April, the Chronicle reported on Meta's rejection of an ad promoting a Northern California Pride festival.) Even so, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has cozied up to the Trump administration, dining with the president at Mar-a-Lago and appointing Trump ally Dana White to his company's board. Meta also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. Meta's Community Standards on its account integrity page state that the company reserves the right to restrict or disable accounts that risk 'imminent harm to individual or public safety.' Solnit is the author of more than 30 books, including 'Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas' and the children's book 'Cinderella Liberator,' which Marin Shakespeare Company
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
META Introduces New Teen Safety Tools: How Safe is the Stock for You?
Meta Platforms META introduced new updates to its Teen Accounts on Instagram on Tuesday, strengthening its parental control features and enhancing safety for users under 16. The update includes stricter restrictions on who can contact teens, the content they see, and new safety features for Instagram Live and direct messages. Teens will need parental consent to go Live or disable the feature that blurs unwanted images in DMs. With nearly 97% of teens aged 13-15 staying within this protection, META is also expanding Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger, aiming to create a more consistent and secure experience across its platforms. More than 54 million teen accounts are already active worldwide, highlighting META's continued commitment to giving parents peace of mind while helping teens engage more safely does expanding safety features across its Instagram, Facebook and Messenger make META a safe stock for investors amid increasing macroeconomic uncertainty? Meta Platforms, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Meta Platforms, Inc. Quote Year to date, META shares lost 6.7%, outperforming the Zacks Computer & Technology sector's decline of 12.6%. The company has outperformed its peers Amazon AMZN, Alphabet GOOGL and Pinterest PINS, which have plunged 17.4%,19.3% and 9.6%, respectively, over the same time frame. Meta has been focusing on enhancing safety across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The company has implemented various initiatives to ensure that users have a safer and more secure online April 2025, Meta added new WhatsApp features to improve user control and business interactions. Users can opt-in for business messages, share content feedback, and block or report businesses easily. Businesses now have tools like paid broadcasts and strict message limits to ensure relevant, high-quality communication and reduce inbox focuses on safety and integrity by investing in tools, resources, and initiatives like Community Standards and digital literacy programs to protect users, especially young people, from harmful content and scams. Meta is not the only technology company focusing on privacy controls for children and younger adults. Alphabet has introduced advanced digital safety features across its platform. It offers features like SafeSearch, supervision of accounts for Gmail and YouTube, and safety features for YouTube Kids. Pinterest is content filtering by disabling comments, spam detection and age-based control features to ensure digital safety. Among OTT platforms, Amazon has implemented parental control features on its devices like Amazon Kindle and Live TV. Within this landscape of growing emphasis on privacy and user protection, Meta's efforts to enhance privacy controls will likely drive user trust and engagement, enabling the platform to continue expanding its user base. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Family Daily Active People or DAP, defined as a registered and logged-in user who visited at least one of the Family products (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and/or WhatsApp) on a given day, was 3.35 billion, up 5% year over year. Meta expects total revenues between $39.5 billion and $41.8 billion for the first quarter of 2025, assuming 8-15% year-over-year growth or 11%-18% at is expecting a 3% headwind to year-over-year total revenue growth in the first quarter of 2025 due to favorable lack of monetization of new platforms like Threads also remains a concern. META plans to introduce ads on Threads gradually and does not expect it to be a meaningful driver of overall impression or revenue growth in 2025. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is pegged at $24.98 per share, which declined 2.4% in the past 30 days. The figure calls for a year-over-year increase of 4.69%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is currently pegged at $188.33 billion, indicating 13.27% year-over-year growth. Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar. META currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pinterest, Inc. (PINS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
