Facebook algorithm breaking the law, French equalities regulator decides

Tech company Meta is breaking French anti-discrimination law, due to the sexist recommendations of its algorithm, according to a first-of-its-kind decision from the country’s equalities regulator, the Defenseur des Droits.

The ruling comes in response to a complaint filed by the French women’s rights organisations Fondation des Femmes and Femmes Ingénieures in collaboration with the investigative campaigning organisation Global Witness.

The full ruling can be downloaded below.

In the ruling the regulator says that “the system implemented to disseminate job opportunities treats users of the Facebook platform differently because of their gender and constitutes indirect discrimination on the basis of sex.” They give Meta three months to “implement [...] measures to ensure the non-discriminatory nature of the display of advertisements for job opportunities.” Meta has yet to respond to the ruling.

This appears to be the first time a European regulator has decided that a social media platform’s algorithm discriminates by gender, presenting a major step forward in holding these platforms accountable to existing law.

Read more on the original article : https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/facebook-algorithm-breaking-the-law-french-equalities-regulator-decides/