HUD Charges Meta with Perpetuating Housing Discrimination

Meta was charged by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with with perpetuating housing discrimination on its Facebook platform by sharing personal information of Facebook users with landlords. The landlords could then use that Facebook user information to target their advertisements to people based on discriminatory factors such as on race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. In 2022, HUD and Meta agreed to develop an algorithmic discrimination prevention system to ensure the company’s online ads are delivered more equitably. Meta’s system is subject to court oversight and regular compliance review through 2026.