Facebook Sued for Sex Discrimination in Employment Ads

A recently filed employment discrimination lawsuit asserts that Facebook’s platform promotes sex discrimination. Among the allegations are assertions that Facebook blocks women from seeing job ads.

The complaint specifically asserts:

“Facebook directs, encourages, and helps its advertisers (including employers and employment agencies) to use Facebook’s ad platform to target their ads (including their employment ads) to a narrow audience, including targeting audiences based on the gender users have provided to Facebook.”

The federal lawsuit alleges that the job postings were specifically tailored so that men aged 25-35 would see them. If proven, this practice may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race or religion.

Facebook has run into legal trouble with its ads previously as users are able to use its platform to illegally discriminate such as targeting younger workers or blocking those of various different “ethnic affinities” from seeing ads. Facebook is able to determine ethnic affinities based on user’s habits such as what they like and read.

The lawsuit asserts that Facebook’s role in promoting the ads is more than just a job posting site, but rather a facilitator of discrimination by providing the tools and databases so that employers can weed out potential employees based on prohibited criteria.

For more information or if you believe that you have been unlawfully discriminated against, please contact the dedicated Atlanta employment lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.