Facebook Swears to End Housing Discrimination on Its Ad Platform for Real This Time

Facebook has signed an agreement with Washington res publica to revise its advertising political platform after aPro Publica investigationfound it could be used to abet trapping discrimination . Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson leda year - farsighted investigationinto Facebook ’s targeted advertising feature , which lets adman let in or exclude substance abuser from seeing certain ads .

“ Facebook ’s advert program give up unlawful discrimination on the basis of backwash , intimate orientation , disability and faith , ” Ferguson told Reuters .

Because adman could choose to keep out Spanish speechmaking , disabled , or LGBT user , a coalescence of civil rightfield group take Facebook to royal court , alleging the advertising platform , as originally designed , rape the Fair Housing Act .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

“ We ’ve removed M of categories related to potentially sensitive personal attributes — like race , ethnicity , sexual orientation and religion — from our excommunication targeting tool , ” Facebook said to Reuters .

Though Facebook users may not explicitly name their race , religious belief , or sexual orientation in their profiles , the troupe has used behavioural data ( what users “ like , ” share , etc . ) that acts as a proxy . So , an advertiser could n’t explicitly shroud ad from Latino users , but could , however , hide ads from users who “ are concerned in or will reply well to Latino content , ” asdescribed on Facebook ’s internet site . An advertiser could n’t explicitly hide ads from handicapped people , but could hide ads from exploiter “ interested in wheelchair ramps . ”

We reach out to Facebook to confirm whether pagan affinity point will continue in non - protected subject ( such as vesture , music , etc . ) and will update when we hear back .

William Duplessie