- Facebook (FB +0.5%) -- recently under fire for the alleged use of its highly targeted advertising in illegal housing discrimination -- says it's cutting more than 5,000 ad targeting options in an update.
- "While these options have been used in legitimate ways to reach people interested in a certain product or service, we think minimizing the risk of abuse is more important," the company says on its business blog.
- "This includes limiting the ability for advertisers to exclude audiences that relate to attributes such as ethnicity or religion."
- It also notes that advertisers it identifies offering housing, employment or credit ads must certify compliance with a nondiscrimination policy, and that that policy will be expanded to U.S. advertisers through its Ads Manager tool.
- Last week, the company faced a HUD complaint alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act via ads that got pinpoint targeting on attributes such as race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, disability, and/or ZIP code.
- Now read: Facebook's Next Big Opportunity Is eBay's Worse Nightmare
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