Facebook Tools Are Used to Screen Out Older Job Seekers, Lawsuit Claims

A proposed class action lawsuit claiming Facebook's ad placement algorithm disproportionately directs ads to younger workers at the exclusion of older workers has been expanded to cite additional firms, reports Bloomberg . The Communications Workers of America (CWA) added claims under California's fair employment and unfair competition ordinances to the lawsuit. CWA also argues that Facebook's algorithm further factors in age when ascertaining which users among the population selected by the advertiser will actually view the ad. Federal law offers immunity for internet platforms serving as "passive conduits" of information, and the amount of discretion Facebook uses in posting ads based on user age could be a critical issue in the CWA suit. An appeals court ruled earlier that the immunity law does not protect a company which "contributes materially to the alleged illegality of the conduct." Concern over targeted online advertising has attracted the scrutiny of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, whose bipartisan leaders requested Facebook turn over information, including how many jobs have been advertised on the social network for the past five years using age-specific ads, and what age criteria were employed. "The same types of discrimination issues that you would see in traditional hiring are now just being transferred over to the platforms," says Cornell University's Ifeoma Ajunwa. "You could even argue that the new way, using platforms, is worse, because it's more solidified — there's no wiggle room, there's no accidental meetings."