U.S. Government Charges Facebook With Discrimination Based on Ad Targeting Practices

HUD filing claims ad buys excluded minority groups

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officially charged Facebook with discrimination today in a document filed with its own Office of Administrative Law Judges in Washington, D.C.

The filing, embedded in full at the end of this story, claims that the social media platform’s ad sales practices violated the Fair Housing Act of 1968 by excluding users from targeted ad buys based on their membership in protected classes based on gender, ethnicity, religion, nation of origin, geographic location, familial status and/or physical disability.

“Using a computer to limit a person’s housing choices can be just as discriminatory as slamming a door in someone’s face.”
AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber

View Subscription Options

Already a member? Sign in