Popular online lodging marketplace AirBnB has introduced a sweeping series of policy changes aimed at curtailing discrimination against travelers who use the site.

In a 32-page report issued today, titled “Airbnb’s Work to Fight Discrimination and Build Inclusion,” the San Francisco-based company outlined its new nondiscrimination policy. That policy mandates all users after November 1 to sign a “community commitment,” wherein they agree to "treat all fellow members of this community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age, with respect, and without judgment or bias.”

Airbnb

Those policy changes come after the property rental resource took a PR hit earlier this year, when the media reported on numerous instances of discrimination from travelers using the site. Airbnb, which requires prospective renters to provide photographs of themselves, drew criticism from many minority travelers who said they experienced difficulty booking reservations or were turned away from making reservations on certain dates only to see those listings later booked by others. A study from the Harvard Business School later found that renters with African American sounding names were about 16 percent less likely to be accepted for reservations than renters whose names sounded Caucasian. A hashtag, #AirbnbWhileBlack, became popular on Twitter. One user even filed a civil-rights lawsuit against the site.

In response, Airbnb in June outlined an initial nondiscrimination policy, stating that hosts may not turn away guests based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The same month, the company hired Laura Murphy, former director of the ACLU’s Washington legislative office, as an advisor to review how Airbnb handles discrimination. Former Attorney General Eric Holder was also brought aboard to help update the company's anti-discrimination policy. Murphy authored the report that was released today.

Airbnb’s updated nondiscrimination policy reduces the role guest photos play in the booking process and introduces an instant booking feature, as well as the addition of a “permanent, full-time product team” of engineers, researchers and designers whose goal is to combat hosting discrimination and root out bias on the site.

The site has also initiated a new “open doors” policy, wherein guests that have been the victims of discrimination will be found alternative lodgings, and the site will employ a new feature that automatically blocks reservation calendars for additional bookings once a host claims their residence is not available during those dates.

The New York Times reported today that Airbnb’s new rules supersede many states’ anti-discrimination laws. Current Fair Housing Act rules do not apply to all Airbnb hosting environments, as exemptions exist for rooming houses, bed-and-breakfasts, and living situations in which owners co-occupy living quarters with guests, all provisions that may apply to some Airbnb listings.

AirBnB, which now maintains 19 offices worldwide, is currently home to more than two million listings. The company recently threatened to file a lawsuit in state of New York if Governor Andrew Cuomo signs into law an "unlawful" bill that would prohibit advertisements for short-term rentals. Renting units for fewer than 30 days is illegal in New York City if the lease holder isn’t present.