The short answer: of course you are not too old to read this newest post on our Milwaukee employment law blog. However, that doesn’t mean you might not be considered too old to read employment ads on Facebook placed by Amazon, Ikea, T-Mobile, Cox Media Group and hundreds of other companies allegedly targeting their ads away from job-seekers in their 50s and 60s.
The companies apparently use Facebook’s targeting capabilities to ensure that their job ads will only be seen by younger Facebook users. A labor union that represents 700,000 media workers has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court alleging age discrimination.
The original suit was filed in December, but there were recently more companies added to the list of firms reportedly using Facebook to skirt federal laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring on the basis of age.
A recent news article on the legal action says it has “major implications for U.S. employers, who routinely buy job ads on Facebook.” Because Facebook enables advertisers to finely tune and target ads on users’ home towns, ages, interests, gender and other factors, the lawsuit could potentially rearrange the business model for the world’s largest social media outlet.
Facebook insists that it’s not responsible for how advertisers use its targeting capabilities and violate the law. It further argues that when it targets its own ads at younger users, it’s akin to companies that buy ads in magazines aimed at youthful audiences.
If you have been discriminated against on the basis of your age, gender, religion, race, pregnancy or sexual orientation, contact the employment law attorneys of Alan C. Olson & Associates, s.c.
