Facebook showed this ad to 95% women. Is that a problem?

How algorithmic ad targeting can segregate us.

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In 2019, Facebook settled a lawsuit with civil rights groups following the revelation that advertisers using their platform could use the targeting options to exclude many specific demographics from seeing their ads. It’s now more difficult for an unscrupulous advertiser to use Facebook’s platform to discriminate.

However, even when you remove human bias from the system, Facebook’s ad delivery algorithms can result in biased outcomes. According to research from Northeastern University, Facebook sometimes displays ads to highly skewed audiences based on the content of the ad.

By purchasing ads and inputting neutral targeting options, the researchers found that the algorithmically determined audience for job ads for cleaners, secretaries, nurses, and preschool teachers was mostly women. The job ads for fast food workers, supermarket cashiers, and taxi drivers skewed toward Black users. The studies show that by targeting "relevant" users, these systems can reinforce existing disparities in our interests and our opportunities.

Sources:
Discrimination through optimization: How Facebook’s ad delivery can lead to skewed outcomes. https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.02095
Ad Delivery Algorithms: The Hidden Arbiters of Political Messaging https://arxiv.org/pdf/1912.04255.pdf
HUD v. Facebook https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Main/documents/HUD_v_Facebook.pdf
ProPublica: Facebook Ads can still discriminate against women and older workers https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-ads-can-still-discriminate-against-women-and-older-workers-despite-a-civil-rights-settlement
Facebook: Doing More to Protect Against Discrimination in Housing, Employment and Credit Advertising https://about.fb.com/news/2019/03/protecting-against-discrimination-in-ads/
https://www.facebook.com/business/news/good-questions-real-answers-how-does-facebook-use-machine-learning-to-deliver-ads/
Facebook: How Does Facebook Use Machine Learning to Deliver Ads? https://www.facebook.com/business/news/good-questions-real-answers-how-does-facebook-use-machine-learning-to-deliver-ads/

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Original Author: Produced by Vox and published on 01/08/2020 Source