Facebook signs agreement saying it won’t let housing advertisers exclude users by race
Facebook has signed a new, legally binding agreement with the state of Washington agreeing to remove advertisers’ ability to exclude races, religions, sexual orientations, and other protected classes in certain ad-targeting sectors. The announcement was made today by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who spearheaded a 20-month investigation into the social network, which first came under fire for the practice in 2016 and again last year.
“Facebook’s advertising platform allowed unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sexual orientation, disability and religion,” said Ferguson in a statement. “That’s wrong, illegal, and unfair.” The agreement Facebook has signed gives it 90 days to comply with the required changes. The...