Facebook accused of helping advertisers exclude older workers
Facebook accused of helping advertisers exclude older workers
Occurred: December 2017
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Facebook's ad targeting system allowed employers to exclude older workers from job advertisements, potentially violating US age discrimination laws.ย
Facebook's ad targeting system enabled employers like Verizon, Amazon and Goldman Sachs to limit job advertisements to specific age ranges, often targeting younger demographics.ย
Exposed by ProPublica and The New York Times, the practice potentially violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by preventing older job seekers from seeing these opportunities.
Facebook defended the practice as an "accepted industry practice" for targeted recruitment. Some companies argued that age-based targeting was similar to advertising in age-specific publications.ย
The platform's ability to deliver ads to precise audiences is central to its business model, but it raised concerns about fairness in employment practices.ย
Older job seekers may have been unfairly excluded from job opportunities, potentially limiting their career prospects and financial stability.ย
The practice could reinforce ageism in the workplace and undermine efforts for diverse and inclusive hiring.
Operator:ย
Developer: Facebook
Country: USA
Sector: Business/professional services
Purpose: Target advertising audiences
Technology: Advertising management system
Issue: Accountability; Bias/discrimination
ย Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-ads-age-discrimination-targeting
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/20/companies-use-facebook-to-exclude-older-workers-from-job-ads.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/business/facebook-job-ads.html
https://blog.skyad.com/recruitment/social-media-recrutiment-ads-age-bias
https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/9/25/20883446/facebook-job-ads-discrimination
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-lawsuit-bias-idUSKBN1XA2G8
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/facebook-job-ads-raise-concerns-about-age-discrimination/
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Type: Incident
Published: February 2025