Facebook Discriminatory Ad Accord Seen as Far From Final Fix

Investigation by Washington state followed ProPublica report
Ethnic groups were blocked from seeing ads, opportunities

The Facebook Inc. logo is displayed for a photograph on an Apple Inc. iPhone in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Facebook is struggling to respond to growing demands from Washington to explain how the personal data of millions of its users could be exploited by a consulting firm that helped Donald Trump win the presidency.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Joel Rosenblatt

July 24, 2018 at 3:34 PM EDT

Updated on

July 24, 2018 at 6:45 PM EDT

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Facebook Inc. can no longer block minorities or other groups from seeing advertisements, according to an agreement with Washington state.

Facebook signed a binding agreement to modify its advertising platform so that third parties can’t discriminate based on ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, according to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Facebook must make the changes nationwide within 90 days, according to a statement Tuesday from Ferguson’s office.

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