Airbnb taking steps to crack down on Halloween parties in Toronto again this year

Airbnb says people looking to host a Halloween bash at a property on the platform will face additional hurdles again this year as the company cracks down on parties.

In a news release, Airbnb said, it will be blocking users from booking one or two-night reservations over Halloween at select properties on the platform.

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“Airbnb is deploying an AI-driven anti-party system aimed at reducing the risk of disruptive and unauthorized parties in Toronto,” a news release issued by the company read.

“The crackdown will see this state-of-the-art AI and machine learning system block certain 1-night and 2-night reservations over Halloween for entire home listings in Toronto… These defenses impact bookings identified as potentially higher-risk, and help to enforce Airbnb’s worldwide party ban.”

Airbnb said last year, approximately 2,500 people were deterred from booking an entire home listing on Airbnb in Toronto on Halloween in an effort to stop people from hosting parties.

Airbnb said suspected party bookings will also be blocked in other parts of the province and country.

According to the company, last Halloween, approximately 7,000 people in Ontario and 14,600 people across Canada were blocked from booking properties thanks to this “anti-party system.”