AGENCIES: Facebook Inc was sued in a proposed class action accusing it of discriminating against older and female users by withholding advertising for financial services such as bank accounts, insurance, investments, and loans.
According to the complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Facebook persists in its willingness to let financial services advertisers “target” prospective customers by age and gender, despite a recent overhaul covering other kinds of ads.
It said the Menlo Park, California-based social media company’s conduct violates that state’s civil rights law, exposing Facebook to billions of dollars in potential damages to users nationwide.
“The internet is not a place where you can discriminate against people because of their age or gender, particularly in financial services opportunities,” Peter Romer-Friedman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview. “It would be like General Motors refusing to offer women or older people the same features on a car as men or younger people.”
Facebook said it is reviewing the complaint. “Our policies have long prohibited discrimination and we’re proud of the strides we’re making in this area,” a spokeswoman said.
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