Facebook lets advertisers exclude users by "ethnic affinity,Watch Tainted Love Online" according to a new report by ProPublica.
Companies buying targeted advertising through Facebook can exclude users who are determined to have an "affinity" for certain ethnic groups. A screenshot of an ad purchased by ProPublica and approved by Facebook shows users excluded by "ethnic affinity" for "African American (US)," "Asian American (US)," and "Hispanic (US - Spanish dominant.)"
Ads that exclude people based on race, gender and "other sensitive factors" are illegal under federal law in housing and employment, ProPublica noted. The news organization's approved ad was related to housing.
A civil rights lawyer told ProPublicathe exclusionary advertising was "massively illegal."
Facebook said that race is not the same as its "ethnic affinity" category. Facebook users do not explicitly self-identify with any ethnic groups.
Facebook puts users in this category instead through their interests: liking BET or Ebony, reading content in Spanish or liking an Asian-American Chamber of Commerce.
Facebook says that users don't have to be of a certain ethnic group to have interests that would place them in an ethnic affinity category.
Facebook said these ads have been used to target Hispanic-Americans during the 2014 World Cup, for companies that sell African-American hair products and for Spanish beer.
SEE ALSO: Facebook's livestream had one big advantage over everybody else"We are committed to providing people with quality ad experiences, which includes helping people see messages that are both relevant to the cultural communities they are interested in and have content that reflects or represents their communities -- not just generic content that's targeted to mass audiences," Facebook said in a statement. "We believe that multicultural advertising should be a tool for empowerment. We take a strong stand against advertisers misusing our platform: our policies prohibit using our targeting options to discriminate, and they require compliance with the law. We take prompt enforcement action when we determine that ads violate our policies."
Despite the distinction between targeting or excluding specific members of a race or ethnic group versus people who have expressed an "affinity" for that race or ethnic group, ProPublica's reporting found that ads using these tools could still be illegal.
Facebook said it is looking into the ad ProPublica purchased and how it was approved. The social networking company said the ad was not for housing exactly, but was instead for a renters' forum related to housing, pointing to the ad as evidence.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Other companies have come under criticism for similar targeted advertising before. A Harvard professor in 2013 found that Google ads related to background checks and arrest records appeared during searches for more "black-sounding names." Google's ad algorithm also showed ads for higher-paying jobs to more men than women.
Facebook released a blog post about the issue.
You can now talk to Google's AI podcast hosts
The 3 best October Prime Day robot vacuum deals — according to an expert
What is text pesting? A third of young women experience this type of harassment
Best Amazon Prime Day fitness deals, according to a fitness expert
Then and Now: 5 Generations of Radeon Graphics Compared
Amazon Prime Day deal: Start your ice cream shop with the Ninja Creami, now 20% off
Snag an Asus Zenbook Duo for $10 cheaper than it was during Amazon Prime Day
Prime Big Deal Days 2024: Apple deals are still live
Why there's no such thing as being 'very online' anymore
Best household essential deals: Save on paper towels, cleaning supplies and more this Prime Day
Best free online courses from MIT
Save nearly $30 on 'EA College Football 25' with this Prime Day deal still available
Why TikTok users are thanking Beyoncé for everything
Best October Prime Day gaming deals, according to a gaming hobbyist
The Best Skyrim Mods
Best Amazon Prime Day gaming laptop deals still live: Alienware, Acer, and more
California police department buys Cybertruck to keep kids off drugs
Best Amazon Prime Day fitness deals, according to a fitness expert
How to unblock xHamster for free
Best Prime Day movie deals: Save up to 70% on digital films at Prime Video
Dogs dressed up for the holidays are obviously going to be quite adorableDNC swiftly kills the idea of a climate change debateThese heartbreaking images reveal the dreams of refugeesMacOS Catalina removes Dashboard, Apple's kinda useful widget featureTeen magazine shocks readers with scorched'Always Be My Maybe' is a victory for onPhotos on iOS is now smart enough to hide duplicatesApple doesn't backtrack the way Steve Jobs did. That's a problem.PSA: Apple AirPods can’t be used to record audio with the iPhone camera appYouTuber Kat Blaque on Pride, identity, and what it means to go viralDNC swiftly kills the idea of a climate change debateiPadOS could transform the iPad into a real laptop replacementA hammer started the largest wildfire in California historyShaq gets really emotional about Beyoncé, tooiPadOS could transform the iPad into a real laptop replacementFacebook enables safety check in India as Cyclone Vardah makes landfallUber takes to the skies once more with Uber CopterApple’s $6,000 cheese grater is a goddamn revelationLaverne Cox talks about Pride Month and identityKeeping up with Kylie Jenner's new puppy Is 'Fortnite' addiction among young children actually a real problem? Vietnamese rapper delivers powerful freestyle on money and stereotypes for Obama 'Game of Thrones' fans are putting tiny Hodor stickers to very good use Put down the bronzer: Kim Kardashian says she's over contouring Belgian World Cup player kicks ball right into his face Slack went down again, so colleagues had to talk to each other 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' to head to the West Coast Push notification short stories are a thing now thanks to this app 'Lumines Remastered' is worth getting even if you've owned it before First female black designer in 103 years of Chelsea Flower Show wins gold Boeing hypersonic jet could make for 2 hour transatlantic flights The 10 best films of 2018 (so far) Elephants continue to suffer in 'humane' wildlife sanctuaries The hang loose emoji is everywhere thanks to the existential dread that is 2018 Dog saved by vet intern moments before being put down Republicans think social media companies censor opposing political viewpoints A 'Game of Thrones' fan predicted the meaning of Hodor's name back in 2008 Memo to 2018 from the 1960s: Forget 'civility.' Get angry. Don't stop. Kid writes hilariously brutal answer to homework question about his favourite book 'Game of Thrones' fandom weeps over the end of Summer
1.016s , 10139.3125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Tainted Love Online】,Charm Information Network