New Report Finds That Facebook Still Runs Discriminatory Ads

A Wisconsin health care agency posted a job ad on Facebook looking for personal care workers. Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of age and race. Facebook had forbidden the use of “multicultural” categories for targeting in job ads. Facebook has defended that practice, arguing that companies might legitimately use age-based targeting to tailor their messages. But there are circumstances where targeting an advertisement based on a person’s characteristics is illegal. The company is still defending another lawsuit, filed by federal housing authorities.