Airbnb, the popular lodging rental service, has come under fire for a controversial ad campaign launched in San Francisco.

The campaign targeted the city government, and offered passive-aggressive suggestions on what the city could do with the approximately $12 million in taxes that Airbnb pays to operate in San Francisco.

A local ballot measure seeks to limit Airbnb by placing greater restrictions on landlords who use the service to list their properties, according to The Verge. Airbnb is vigorously fighting the measure, saying it would significantly reduce tax revenue, but proponents argue that Airbnb is hurting the availability and affordability of long-term rental space in the area.

Some thought the ads were a hoax, but Airbnb admitted that it was behind the campaign and it has since apologized and removed the ads. Per a statement to SF Weekly, Airbnb said the intention of the ad campaign was to show the hotel tax contribution that hosts and guests make to San Francisco.

About the Author

Keep Reading

“Superman” was one of several Warner Bros. features filmed in Georgia. The director, James Gunn, has ambitions to shoot the second installment in the Peach State. (Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS