SAN FRANCISCO — Lawyers for Facebook Inc. are fighting back against claims that the company violated federal antidiscrimination laws by allowing advertisers to exclude certain users from viewing social media promotions for housing, credit and employment opportunities.
A New York woman and two African-American Louisiana residents sued Facebook in November 2016 claiming that the social media site’s advertising portal allows ad-purchasers to target or exclude users on the basis of race, gender or religion. But in a motion to dismiss the suit filed Monday, Facebook’s lawyers at Munger, Tolles & Olson claim that Facebook expressly forbids advertisers from violating antidiscrimination laws and that the company can’t be held liable for the actions of third-party advertisers thanks to the broad immunities granted to internet companies by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
