Published on 04/01/2023 at 18:40
Facebook could have to pay damages to thousands of Quebecers who have used the platform to search for jobs and housing since 2016 and whose ads would have been blocked due to discriminatory criteria. (Photo: 123RF)
A Quebec appeals court has upheld a class action lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the social network of discrimination based on age, gender or race in the targeting of its advertising, the plaintiffs’ lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.
The California social media giant may have had to pay damages to thousands of Quebecers who have used the platform to search for jobs and homes since 2016 and have had their ads hidden based on these discriminatory criteria.
“We are pleased with the decision of the Quebec Court of Appeals,” AFP welcomed plaintiffs’ attorney Audrey Boctor, citing “widespread discriminatory practices.”
“Algorithmic discrimination that prevents certain groups of people, such as women and older workers, from receiving job advertisements is just a modern form of the same type of discrimination prohibited under the Quebec Charter,” she said in an email.
The class action lawsuit was initiated in 2019 before being dismissed in the first instance.
Contacted by AFP, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, declined to comment on the Quebec Court of Appeal’s decision, but assured that it had taken steps “to promote non-discrimination and justice.” [ses] advertising systems.
The group also faced similar lawsuits in the United States. In June, the company agreed to change its ad targeting methods and pay $115,054 in fines to settle a US government lawsuit accusing it of promoting race and gender discrimination.
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