
Facebook lets advertisers exclude users by race - mgiannopoulos
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/10/facebook-lets-advertisers-exclude-users-by-race/
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thaumasiotes
The complaint is that facebook gives you the option to display your ads only
to a particular demographic. Then they substantiate the idea that this is a
Fair Housing Act violation with this:

> The Fair Housing Act of 1968 makes it illegal "to make, print, or publish,
> or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or
> advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that
> indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race,
> color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.”

But displaying ads only to white users is not at all the same thing as
printing "whites only" in the ad.

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mgiannopoulos
Then again , do print magazines provide (or are allowed to provide) ethnicity
demographics to potential advertised companies?

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mariuolo
Does Facebook? They merely show ads to selected audiencies.

And in any case race on Facebook profiles is not quite a secret.

~~~
mgiannopoulos
As per the article, they provide the option to only target (for example)
African Americans (or to exclude them)

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jlgaddis
This isn't a big deal in my eyes. If you're advertising a product that appeals
predominantly to certain races, why waste your dollars advertising it to all
races?

If you're promoting a Charlie Daniels concert, for example, blacks almost
certainly aren't your target demographic. Why throw your dollars away by
showing your ads to people who very likely don't want your product?

This seems like common sense but because the word "race" is in there people
want to make a big deal out of it.

With regard to the specific example in the article, it's up to the advertiser
to ensure they're compliant with the FHA, not the publisher.

