US regulators target Facebook on discriminatory housing ads

US regulators target Facebook on discriminatory housing ads

6 years ago
Anonymous $oIHRkISgaL

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-facebook-discriminatory-housing-ads.html

"When Facebook uses the vast amount of personal data it collects to help advertisers to discriminate, it's the same as slamming the door in someone's face," HUD Assistant Secretary Anna María Farias said in a statement Friday.

Service providers such as Facebook typically aren't liable for the actions of their users. In a separate, civil lawsuit filed by housing advocates, the Justice Department says Facebook doesn't fall under that category because it mines user data, some of which users have to provide, and customizes ads for specific audiences. The government says that counts as being a content creator, rather than merely a transmitter of user content.