Airbnb added to the shame I felt after suffering years of domestic abuse

The platform allowed my abusive ex-partner to practically steal my identity and potentially put others at risk

I spent years in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic and notorious sex pest. In 2018, I broke free when he moved abroad to escape his creditors. A year later, I tried to make my first Airbnb booking, only to have it cancelled because my account was permanently blocked.

Airbnb declined to tell me why. Later, I discovered that my ex had used my phone number and his own email address to set up one account in his name, and an old email address of mine to set up a second. I hadn’t received any notification of the use of my phone number, but I found, in my disused email account, several emails addressed to my ex.