How a failed attempt to get porn off the internet protects Airbnb from the law

The story of Airbnb's current battle with San Francisco over regulation actually begins with a senator who prayed to control 'the pollution' of internet porn

Airbnb, like pornography, is a business based on selling a fantasy. Porn offers the simulacrum of a sexual encounter; Airbnb, that of being "a local" in a city not one's own. There's less fuss, less muss, and a much reduced chance of STDs and irritated neighbors.

At least, there's less fuss for the visitors. Cities around the world, however, are waking up to the headache of hosting transient populations in previously residential neighborhoods, and attempting to crack down.