Facebook settles suits over ad-targeting discrimination
Posted March 19, 2019 11:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is settling five lawsuits alleging that its advertising systems enabled discrimination in housing, credit and employment ads.
That clears one big legal issue for the social network but leaves others, including government investigations in the U.S. and Europe over its data and privacy practices.
Plaintiffs in the cases include the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Fair Housing Alliance and others.
Facebook says it will overhaul ad targeting for housing, credit and employment ads so they can’t be used to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, race and ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation and other legally protected categories in the U.S.
The social media company is also paying about $5 million to cover legal fees and other costs.
Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press
