Facebook is being sued for hiding job ads from women
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Facebook, claiming it illegally runs ads that are shown only to men.
The news: The lawsuit, which is being filed on behalf of three women, says Facebook let 10 employers, including a police department, to run advertisements excluding women and nonbinary users. It has been filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the body responsible for enforcing federal discrimination laws.
Facebook’s response: In an e-mailed statement, Facebook said: “There is no place for discrimination on Facebook; it’s strictly prohibited in our policies, and over the past year, we’ve strengthened our systems to further protect against misuse.” The spokesperson added that Facebook is “reviewing the complaint and look forward to defending our practices.”
Broken promises? This is far from the first time Facebook has got in trouble for enabling illegal discrimination on the grounds of age and race by allowing advertisers to exclude certain groups. It publicly committed to ending the practice across the US in July 2018.
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