U.S. Charges Facebook With Violating Fair Housing Laws -- Update
March 28 2019 - 8:53AM
Dow Jones News
By Daniel Nasaw
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development on
Thursday said it was charging Facebook Inc. with violating fair
housing laws by enabling real-estate companies to improperly limit
who can view advertisements on its platform.
The charges under the Fair Housing Act, announced in a statement
Thursday morning, accuse the social-media giant of unlawfully
discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, and
more, "by restricting who can view housing-related ads."
"Facebook is discriminating against people based upon who they
are and where they live," HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a
statement announcing the charges of violating the Fair Housing Act.
"Using a computer to limit a person's housing choices can be just
as discriminatory as slamming a door in someone's face."
The department said Facebook let advertisers exclude people from
viewing housing and housing-related ads based on demographics
including status as parents, citizenship status, interest in
Hispanic culture, gender, and more categories.
The charges are civil in nature, not criminal. HUD said the
charges would be heard either by a federal administrative law judge
or a federal district judge. If a judge in either venue rules
against Facebook, the judge can assess damages and fines, HUD
said.
A spokesman for Facebook said the company was surprised by HUD's
action because the company had been working with the department to
address their concerns, and said it had taken steps to prevent
advertising discrimination. The spokesman said the company last
year eliminated thousands of targeting options subject to misuse,
among other measures.
"While we were eager to find a solution, HUD insisted on access
to sensitive information -- like user data -- without adequate
safeguards," the spokesman said in a statement. "We're disappointed
by today's developments, but we'll continue working with civil
rights experts on these issues."
Write to Daniel Nasaw at daniel.nasaw@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 28, 2019 08:38 ET (12:38 GMT)
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