Airbnb has added Google and Weibo support for its “Verified ID” process

Airbnb announced a security update today, enabling users to verify their identities by connecting to a Google or Weibo account. The update affects Airbnb’s “Verified ID” feature, which uses both online and offline methods to prove that a user is who they claim to be. Ultimately, the goal is to make Airbnb’s reputation-based community of strangers safer for all parties involved.

Airbnb today expanded its Verified ID process for improving accountability between renters and property owners on its service. The company now accepts Google and Weibo accounts, which have over 540 million and 500 million active users, respectively. Verified ID badges are plastered on Airbnb profiles to indicate a guest or host has matched their name on their online ID to the name on their offline identification. Airbnb launched Verified ID back in April 2013 with support for Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. Since then, over 15 million guests have stayed on Airbnb. In the US, where the feature first launched, nearly half of users that made a booking had a Verified ID last week, and outside the US that number was nearly a third. With support for two additional accounts, those numbers should continue to grow.