Campaign group says Facebook ads are discriminatory
Social media algorithms have been accused of being gender conservative. Campaign group Global Witness says tests in the UK show that Facebook’s targeting of ads still are discriminatory and its algorithm biased in choosing who would see the ads.
The group’s tests showed:
- 96% of the people shown an ad for mechanic jobs were men;
- 95% of those shown an ad for nursery nurse jobs were women;
- 75% of those shown an ad for pilot jobs were men;
- 77% of those shown an ad for psychologist jobs were women.
“Even though Facebook requires advertisers to confirm that they will not discriminate when posting job ads, its own ad delivery system appears to operate in a discriminatory manner”, Global Witness said.
“Facebook’s business model of profiting from profiling appears to replicate the biases we see in the world, potentially narrowing opportunities for users and preventing progress and equity in the workplace.”
The organization has asked the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to formally investigate Facebook’s compliance with British equality laws.
“We are also asking the UK Information Commissioner’s Office to weigh in on the compatibility of Facebook’s advertising products with the General Data Protection Regime. If it is the case that Facebook are in breach of the UK’s anti-discrimination legislation, they may also fall foul of the GDPR’s requirement for data to be processed ‘lawfully’ and ‘fairly’.”
The organization says that changes Facebook has made to housing, job and credit ads in the US and Canada are not sufficient but that they are a start in addressing discrimination by advertisers and should be used globally.
Global Witness is calling for:
- The UK Equality & Human Rights Commission to investigate whether Facebook’s targeting and ad delivery practices breach the Equality Act (2010).
- The UK Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate whether Facebook’s ad delivery practices breach the GDPR.
- Governments to require tech companies that use algorithms that have the potential to discriminate against users to assess and mitigate those risks to the point that they’re negligible. The risk assessments should be made public and overseen by an independent regulator with the powers to conduct their own audits.
- Governments to require tech companies to make the criteria used to target online ads transparent, at the same level of detail that the advertisers themselves use.
Global Witness was founded some 25 years ago, has close to 100 staff and offices in London, Washington DC and Brussels.
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