The California social media giant could have to pay damages to thousands of Quebecers who have used Facebook to look for jobs or housing since 2016. Users would have hidden ads based on discriminatory criteria. A Quebec appeals court has just approved the establishment of a class action lawsuit against the social network. He is accused of discrimination based on age, gender or origin in his advertising

“We are pleased with the decision of the Québec Court of Appeals,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney, Audrey Boctor, pointing out “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 explains.

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The class action lawsuit was initiated in 2019 before being dismissed in the first instance. Contacted by Agence France-Presse, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, declined to comment on the Québec Court of Appeal’s decision, but assured that it had taken steps “to promote non-discrimination and justice.” [ses] advertising systems. The group has also faced similar lawsuits in the United States.

In June, the company agreed to change its ad targeting methods and pay a $115,054 fine to end a US government lawsuit accusing it of promoting racial and sexist discrimination. This Wednesday, the American Facebook owner Meta was fined two new fines totaling 390 million euros for violating European data protection rules.