Social media Giant Facebook, described themselves as “surprised” by the recent U.S HUD lawsuit against the company over ‘alleged’ discriminatory advertising practices. This in light of the Facebook recently publishing an article stating they are working hard to take preventative action against such behavior on the site. The HUD department filed a legal complaint against Facebook on Thursday, alleging that the company’s advertising platform has been restricting who can view housing related adverts based on their race, nationality, disability and many other factors.
In a recent Statement by a spokesperson for Facebook they said “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,” they continued to add “While we were eager to find a solution, HUD insisted on access to sensitive information – like user data – without adequate safeguards. We’re disappointed by today’s developments, but we’ll continue working with civil rights experts on these issues,”
In a statement issued by HUD, they have said that their legal action against Facebook action “makes it very clear that unresolved fair housing issues remain with Facebook’s advertising platform. Until HUD can verify that Facebook’s practices are in full compliance with the law, we will continue to use all resources at our disposal to protect Americans from the harmful effects of discrimination.”
This is the most recent setback for Facebook, as it is currently working to resolve similar issues that have arisen with other major institutions over their advertising activities, Over the course of the last year Facebook has been at the front of many major privacy related controversies, with the most recent being a huge data breach of users information.
The social media giant’s share price has faced a very turbulent 12 months with the company facing many controversies. However since the start of the year, Facebook’s share price has seen a positive incline which investors hope will not change anytime soon.
Francis Charles – Walter International