In a historic move, a new government-backed ad delivery system has been launched by Meta in order to protect against housing discrimination and promote fair advertising practices.
The decision to release the new system follows a recent housing discrimination lawsuit, which ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and stated that the company was involved in a “breach of the Fair Housing Act”. In response to the lawsuit, Meta has taken measures to ensure adequate provision of services to protected classes of individuals.
The new government-backed delivery system, which was developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will provide increased transparency and consumer protection in advertising-related issues. It will help to ensure that ads for housing, jobs, and other opportunities will be free from bias and discrimination. Additionally, the new system will provide measures to track the success of campaigns and identify any trends in content related to discrimination.
The system is set to help not just traditional housing, but smaller businesses and entrepreneurs as well. Marketers will be able to track how their ads are performing and make adjustments to better suit their needs. This could be especially beneficial for those who tend to target niche groups or underrepresented demographics.
The goal of the release of the new system is to protect individuals in each of the protected classes, which includes race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. This system will increase apprenticed to these classes and give organizations an idea of the implications their ads have on these individuals.
In a statement released by HUD Secretary Ben Carson, the launch of the new system marks a “significant step in ensuring that vulnerable and underserved communities can equally access opportunities in housing and other realms”.
Meta’s new system is a major attempt at keeping up with the country’s evolving technology and will help organizations, businesses and private citizens alike to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for success. The ad delivery system is set to have an enormous impact on the ability to promote fair, transparent and unbiased advertising practices.
