Federal officials at HUD have filed suit at a sales practice that allows advertisers on the social network to include or exclude people who have an “affinity” with specific ethnic groups
“There is no place for discrimination on Facebook; it’s strictly prohibited in our policies,” a spokesperson for Facebook told Inman. “Over the past year we’ve strengthened our systems to further protect against misuse. We’re aware of the statement of interest filed and will respond in court; and we’ll continue working directly with HUD to address their concerns.”
Facebook first faced scrutiny over its online advertising practices, after an investigation from ProPublica found that Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude certain ethnic groups when posting ads for housing. This allowed advertisers, in effect, to create digital “whites-only” housing listings.
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