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Dozens of Companies Are Using Facebook To Exclude Older Workers From Job Ads (propublica.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ProPublica: Verizon is among dozens of the nation's leading employers -- including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Target and Facebook itself -- that placed recruitment ads limited to particular age groups, an investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times has found. The ability of advertisers to deliver their message to the precise audience most likely to respond is the cornerstone of Facebook's business model. But using the system to expose job opportunities only to certain age groups has raised concerns about fairness to older workers. Several experts questioned whether the practice is in keeping with the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which prohibits bias against people 40 or older in hiring or employment. Many jurisdictions make it a crime to "aid" or "abet" age discrimination, a provision that could apply to companies like Facebook that distribute job ads.
Facebook defended the practice. "Used responsibly, age-based targeting for employment purposes is an accepted industry practice and for good reason: it helps employers recruit and people of all ages find work," said Rob Goldman, a Facebook vice president. The revelations come at a time when the unregulated power of the tech companies is under increased scrutiny, and Congress is weighing whether to limit the immunity that it granted to tech companies in 1996 for third-party content on their platforms.
Facebook defended the practice. "Used responsibly, age-based targeting for employment purposes is an accepted industry practice and for good reason: it helps employers recruit and people of all ages find work," said Rob Goldman, a Facebook vice president. The revelations come at a time when the unregulated power of the tech companies is under increased scrutiny, and Congress is weighing whether to limit the immunity that it granted to tech companies in 1996 for third-party content on their platforms.
Age based ads targeting comic books to teenagers, ok. Age based ads targeting IT jobs to Millennials but excluding people aged 40 is a problem.
Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
I suppose they think I can 'responsibly apply' this accepted industry practice to other demographics like gender, race, religion etc.?
I would never see an ad on Facebook, since I'm security and privacy conscious and Facebook is a way to surrender both of those things.
I suppose the day may come when it's important enough I can't avoid it, in which case I will hire a PR company to produce a managed online presence for me, designed to appeal to the idiots in HR who think shit like this is a good idea.
If the idea is to exclude older workers for one or more of the various reasons employers always cite, then similar reasons can be given to exclude people in their 20s.
Such as, irresponsibility, checking their phones rather than doing work, checking Facebook rather than doing work, more willing to request time off, raising a family, the list goes on.
It's always hilarious to hear employers whine they can't find people with experience, who then go out of their way to exclude people with experience.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Used responsibly, age-based targeting for employment purposes is an accepted industry practice and for good reason: it helps employers recruit and people of all ages find work"
Google translate (source: weaslese (PR dialect; not Lawyer dialect); destination: commoner's English) ->
"Used responsibly (theoretically, and at the discretion of whomever is paying us to target ads), age-based targeting for employment purposes is an accepted industry practice (but we won't tell you whom it's accepted by) and for good reason (at least for us): it helps employers who wish to discriminate based on age to recruit, and people of all ages except for the discriminated age ranges, find work."
Wow, I never knew that translation technology could make it so easy to understand executives!
I don't know about advertising, but LinkedIn requires you to include a year on employment history--another way employers filter by age, since it is universal practice nowdays (at least in tech) to review somebody's linkedin profile as part of screening. It is an easy way to determine somebody's age.
tora
Somehow young people have young people jobs and older people have older people jobs. I wonder what might it be that makes the difference?
Sorry AC but that is just crap. There is no such thing as young people jobs and old people jobs. There are just jobs. And in America, where we use money to barter for food, clothing, and shelter, jobs are necessary.
What does this have to do with statistics? It says right in TFS that they are targeting based on age. There is zero statistical evidence, they are simply telling Facebook to only show the ads to younger people. Facebook doesn't even deny it, they just say "it's normal in recruitment and somehow good for older people".
What is this weird, Pavlovian "all discrimination is a lie" response?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
So here's a different perspective, which I hope you'll consider, rather than lumping all older workers into the same stereotype. I would like you to consider an alternative viewpoint to the points you raised:
So, I'm not going to defend the points one by one, but thought you should know how such statements are perceived by those with more experience. It is these people - with more experience - who will be evaluating whether you would be a good fit for their company.
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