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VRBO is double-vetting DC area guests

During inauguration week following last week’s Capitol Hill violence, vacation rental site VRBO is requiring guests booking a property in and around the D.C. area to reconfirm their identities with copies of valid, government-issued photo IDs to re-vet those reservations. It also applies to guests currently staying in a VRBO property.

VRBO will cancel reservations immediately if the information is not provided.

Parent company Expedia says the new policy runs through Jan 24, and applies to hotel and airline bookings through its travel sites for visitors to D.C. and to state capitals in all 50 states.

Expedia’s booking sites include Hotwire, Expedia, HomeAway, Orbiz, Travelocity, CheapTickets and others.

Airbnb had already canceled all existing and new reservations for properties in the D.C. area for this week. Airbnb also issued full refunds to canceled guests and reimbursed hosts for lost income.

Expedia says it is screening and cross-referencing all lodging and air bookings through Jan. 24 multiple times a day against local and federal government agency provided lists to prevent those identified as persons who pose a threat to homeland security from booking through its sites.

In addition, it is using third-party security firms to perform checks on reservations.

Expedia has expanded VRBO policies for cancellations and refunds. If it cancels a reservation, the guests will be refunded and hosts will be paid in full for the lost income. That policy applies to both VRBO hosts in the D.C. area and in state capitals.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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