New study shows that Facebook's job ad algorithm still discriminates based on gender

Facebook isn't supposed to let advertisers target by things like age or gender for employment ads anymore, but a new study showed that the social network's ad algorithm is doing it anyway.

More than two years after Facebook disabled that particular feature for housing and employment listings, researchers at the University of Southern California found that certain job listings mysteriously still show a noticeable skew in who sees themThe study's findings would be illegal under federal employment discrimination law.

"Our system takes into account many signals to try and serve people ads they will be most interested in, but we understand the concerns raised in the report," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement responding to the study, shared with Mashable. "We’ve taken meaningful steps to address issues of discrimination in ads and have teams working on ads fairness today. We're continuing to work closely with the civil rights community, regulators, and academics on these important matters." Read more...