The settlementresolves claims that Facebook's targeting technology allowed advertiserstoexclude protected groups such as racial minorities,women and older workersfrom seeing housing, employment and credit offers.It also establishes a partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Communication Workers of America union to work collaboratively to prevent discrimination on Facebook, Instagramand Messenger.
With platforms like Facebook playing a substantial role in steering people toeconomic opportunities, Tuesday's settlement will bring changes tohow Americans can be targeted on the platform, ensuring that protected groups that already face discrimination cannot be excluded from seeing ads that can help them find a new job, anapartment or a loan,civil rights and labor organizations said.
Sandberg says Facebook is still facing an investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.HUD did not respond to a request for comment.
At issue are the company's targeting tools thatpermit advertisers to pinpoint whom they want to reach by tapping into the vast amounts of data the company collects on its more than 2 billion users.
Targeting online ads to specific demographics is standard practice for internet companies, but civil rights advocates have warned that excluding users from viewinghousing, employment and credit offer ads on the basis of race, gender, age and other protected categories violates federal and state civil rights laws.
And the company has removed thousands of categories that could be used to target protected classes such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion.
Right now, advertisers placing housing, employment and credit ads can target users of Facebook, Instagram and Messenger based on thousands of interests.
Anyone who wants to run these ads will not be allowed to target by age, gender or zip code.Facebook is also building a new tool that will allow users to search for and view all current housing ads throughout the U.S.
After Murphy, the Congressional Black Caucus and others raised concerns about how housing, employment and credit ads target users, Facebook says it engagedthe civil rights law firm of Relman, Dane & Colfaxto review its ad tools.
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