propublica :Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race

Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race

Facebook's system allows advertisers to exclude black, Hispanic, and other "ethnic affinities" from seeing ads.David Sleight/ProPublicaImagine if, during the Jim Crow era, a newspaper offered advertisers the option of placing ads only in copies that went to white readers.That's basically what Facebook is doing nowadays.

Facebook Accused of Letting Advertisers Discriminate by Race

A new report claims that Facebook is letting advertisers discriminate based on race.ProPublica reports that the social network lets advertisers narrow their audience by "Ethnic Affinity," or, in other words, exclude people who are African-American, Asian, or Hispanic.The NYC-based investigative journalism nonprofit posted a screenshot from Facebook's self-service advertising portal showing this racial exclusion option:So basically, if someone wants to ensure that African-Americans — or Asians or Hispanics — don't see their housing ad, they can.

Facebook Makes It Easy for Advertisers to Be Racist

This story originally appeared on ProPublica.Imagine if, during the Jim Crow era, a newspaper offered advertisers the option of placing ads only in copies that went to white readers.That's basically what Facebook is doing nowadays.

Is Facebook Enabling Advertisers to Discriminate by Race?

Facebook is about to have yet another, very uncomfortable conversation about race.A new story from the investigative journalism outfit, ProPublica, has revealed that the company not only allows advertisers to target users by specific attributes, they also let them eliminate users on the basis of race.At best, the practice is alarming, and at worst, illegal.