Facebook allows advertisers to exclude users by race

Facebook’s advertising system allows advertisers to exclude users by race, according to a new report for ProPublic, a public interest publication. Investigative journalists found that users wishing to advertise on the site can target audiences by location, background, interests – and race.

“Ethnic Affinities” is the targeting language Facebook uses, but the purpose is clear – to exclude people of a certain race from certain advertisements. Excluding people based on race from advertisements for housing or employment is illegal. “This is horrifying,” said civil rights lawyer John Relman. “This is about as blatant a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act as one can find.”

“Imagine if, during the Jim Crow era, a newspaper offered advertisers the option of placing ads only in copies that went to white readers,” ProPublic said in its report. “That’s basically what Facebook is doing nowadays.”

Link:

Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race (ProPublica, Oct. 28, 2016)