Trump administration charges Facebook with housing discrimination

The Politico ^ | August 17, 2018 | Patrick Temple-West

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Trump administration today charged Facebook Inc. with violating housing discrimination laws.

The social media company allows advertisers to divert housing listings away users who mention terms such as “assistance dog” and “mobility scooter,” or who live in certain zip codes, in violation of the Fair Housing Act, HUD alleged.

In addition, the Justice Department today joined a lawsuit against Facebook, saying in a “statement of interest” that the company discriminates by helping advertisers pick preferred users.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing transactions including print and online advertisement on the basis of race, religion or sex, among other things. Facebook allows advertisers to pinpoint certain potential tenants or homebuyers while filtering out others, HUD alleged.

“When Facebook uses the vast amount of personal data it collects to help advertisers to discriminate, it's the same as slamming the door in someone's face,” said Anna María Farías, HUD's assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity.

A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement: "There is no place for discrimination on Facebook; it’s strictly prohibited in our policies,” adding that the company will respond to DOJ's statement of interest in court.

[gaijin]

Stole his business idea

Stole all the shares from his BEST friend

Secretly sold users’ data

Stated in a confidential email to a friend that people who trust him are "dumb-f*cks"

Married in the community proprety state of California, the very day AFTER he took Facebook public

Requested nude photos of users to “protect them against the risk of revenge porn”

Secretly tried to get hospitals to release vast stores of patient data “so I can help cure diseases”

Secretly requested banks give him his users' financial data, including transactions, so “you can check your balance on his site."

Admonished that people "build bridges instead of walls", all while building walls around his Palo Alto homes and around the huge Kauai Estate he bought and then threw the Hawaiians off of

[grania]

Clever....choke FB on the elitism those SF brats probably don’t even know they’re guilty of.

[Right Wing Assault]

Who you rent to should be your choice.

I attended a seminar for current or prospective landlords or people thinking of selling a house. It was to instruct them in the various discriminations that can get them in legal and, therefore, financial trouble.

Listening to them and talking to current landlords, you learn that you can get into trouble if you advertise and use the following phrases: "Nice view," "Short walk to bus stop," "Nice starter home for a young couple," "Perfect for empty-nesters," "Enjoy the songbirds in the nearby woods," "Close to playground," "Nice, quiet neighborhood," "Ideal for Mature couple," "Near several churches," "White people only!"

Quiz time! (That last one was a freebee.) Can you get all 10 correct? Which group feels they are discriminated against by each of these phrases to such a degree that you can be investigated and fined by State bureaucrats?

[Katya]

Have any of you ever experimented with social media platform ad buys? It’s insane how finely you can pinpoint a profile of your desired customer. Not just zipcodes, it allows you to target people who listen to certain types of music, have certain types of hobbies etc.

So yes, you can absolutely redline groups you don’t want to spend money on seeing your ads.

[moovova]

Shot over the bow.

[a fool in paradise]

I’ve always called it socialist networking media just as I used to point out that “flash mobs” were a method of testing the means of communication (and possibly drawing in willing patsies or targets to some nefarious plot). When was the last time you hears about a flash mob suddenly appearing? That’s soooo pre-facebook/twitter.

Today’s netrage is a virtual lynch mob and it comes together like lightning.

harassing phone calls, protesters, negative press...

[Spitzensparkin1]

Great summation of this crook. I believe DARPA financed him early on with grant money and code. I think he’s only a “face”, a front, an overpaid actor for the deep state rather than the wonder boy entrepreneur he’s sold as. He was given or stole everything he has “built”, IMHO.

And thanks for that photo GIF. I swear that he looks like he is part reptile.

Cheers, keep up the good work,
SS1

[2ndDivisionVet]

Actually, it’s how the Trump campaign’s digital manager (now the overall 2020 manager) beat Hillary with a lot less boots on the ground and money.