Here’s how Airbnb is trying to block New Year’s Eve parties

Airbnb is stepping up efforts to prevent unauthorized and disruptive parties this New Year’s Eve – or at least trying to.

The short-term property rental company is rolling out new anti-party technology around the globe, aiming to block high-risk bookings.

Last year, nearly 74,000 people were deterred from booking on Airbnb for New Year’s Eve, Airbnb said in a news release on Thursday.

This year, the company is turning to machine learning.

The system looks at various factors, such as trip length, listing type, distance from the guest’s location and timing of the reservation. If a booking is flagged as high-risk, it will either be blocked or redirected to alternative rentals, the company said.

“While issues are rare, we want to do our part to help reduce the risk of unauthorized and disruptive parties,” said Tara Bunch, Airbnb’s global head of operations. “Airbnb is committed to supporting hosts and the communities they live in, and we hope these defenses allow guests,…