How algorithmic ad targeting can segregate us. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Or our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts Follow Vox on Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H Or on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o 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/ Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com/