"Technical error": Facebook allows discriminatory advertising

According to the non-profit organization, last week it had commissioned dozens of US housing advertisements on Facebook that should not be shown to certain users - for example African Americans, Jews or people interested in wheelchair ramps. In the US, discriminatory advertising in the credit, housing and job markets is illegal.

The foundation-funded research group ProPublica had already uncovered in 2016 that advertisers on Facebook were only able to target their housing ads at white people. Although the US company, one of the largest advertising companies in the world, subsequently claimed to be improving its guidelines, almost all ads were posted online within a few minutes last week, it was reported.

In a written response, Facebook regretted the incident and spoke of a "technical error". Millions of ads had already been identified by the anti-discrimination system. But: "We can still improve."

As recently as September, ProPublica revealed that Facebook had enabled its advertising customers to target anti-Semites in the past (Werbewoche.ch reported). This made it possible to select target groups for the marketing of Nazi memorabilia or the promotion of right-wing extremist events, for example, if they had specified "Jew haters" as their area of interest. Following the scandal, Facebook blocked such terms as possible advertising categories. (SDA)