HUD on Thursday charged Facebook with housing discrimination, alleging its targeted advertising platform violates the Fair Housing Act by “encouraging, enabling, and causing” unlawful discrimination by restricting who can view housing ads. “We’re surprised by HUD’s decision, as we’ve been working with them to address their concerns and have taken significant steps to prevent ads discrimination,” said Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesman. The practice may re-create groupings that are protected under the law, HUD says, and therefore have the same effects as the intentional discrimination of decades past. But HUD officials say the settlement does not go far enough in remedying housing discrimination. “Unresolved fair housing issues remain with Facebook’s advertising platform,” said HUD spokesman Raffi Williams.

Source: Washington Post March 28, 2019 11:41 UTC