'Prejudices play out in the ratings we give' – the myth of digital equality

Sharing apps - from Airbnb to Uber - were supposed to make services open to everyone. But real-life discrimination can be exacerbated in an economy where we are vulnerable to others' biases

The problem started when Reed Kennedy tried to book an Airbnb house in upstate New York for New Year's Eve. "I made a few attempts," the 42-year-old real estate investor says. "Each time the host would reject my request, but when I went back it was still available for those dates. I realised something was going on." Kennedy, who is African American, decided to get a white member of the group to attempt the booking. "She was able to get it immediately," he continues. "I'd had a profile on Airbnb for three years, validated by email, Facebook and Google, as well as my driver's licence and passport. She set up a profile with no references, no validations and was able to book immediately. At that point I realised my race was an issue."

At a time when racial tensions have exploded and racist hate crime is on the rise in the UK and US, discrimination has reared its head in another, more unexpected place: the sharing economy, bastion of feelgood values, sustainability, social responsibility and trust. "Belong anywhere" promises Airbnb. "Your day belongs to you," Uber enthuses. "We do chores," assures TaskRabbit, "you live life." The messages are bold, slick and utopian. These platforms are a force for good. It's all about sharing, after all. Except they now find themselves blamed for doing the opposite. Uber and Lyft have been accused of fostering discrimination. A 2016 study in Boston and Seattle found "significant evidence of discrimination". Rides for men with black-sounding names were cancelled more than twice as often as for other men. Black people faced notably longer waiting times to get paired with drivers. Women were taken on longer routes. Away from the on-demand economy, Amazon was criticised for excluding black neighbourhoods when it launched its same-day delivery offer (it has since expanded its services to correct the problem in several cities).