HUD says Facebook ads are biased
Housing ad restrictions seen as discriminatory
SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Housing and Urban Development charged Facebook on Thursday with discrimination for allowing advertisers to restrict who can view housing ads.
The civil charges under the Fair Housing Act accuse Facebook of unlawfully discriminating based on race, national origin, religion and more. They come one week after the social media giant agreed to a sweeping settlement with civil rights, fair housing and labor groups over the same issue.
“Facebook is discriminating against people based upon who they are and where they live,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement Thursday morning. “Using a computer to limit a person’s housing choices can be just as discriminatory as slamming a door in someone’s face.”
Facebook spokeswoman Elisabeth Diana said talks with HUD broke down when the agency insisted on viewing sensitive information such as user data “without adequate safeguards.”
“We’re surprised by HUD’s decision, as we’ve been working with them to address their concerns and have taken significant steps to prevent ads discrimination,” Diana said in a statement. “We’re disappointed by today’s developments, but we’ll continue working with civil rights experts on these issues.”
USA TODAY asked Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg about the HUD negotiations last week. She said Facebook was working to address HUD’s concerns.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which was part of last week’s settlement, said it welcomed the HUD charges to turn up the pressure on Facebook to make additional changes to its ad targeting tools.