Facebook gears up to make job ads searchable for U.S. users

Social media giant Facebook has announced that job, loan, and credit card ads will soon become searchable for all users in the U.S.; the update comes on the heels of a legal settlement focused on erasing any discriminatory practices on the platform.

The plan disclosed in an internal report Sunday voluntarily expands on a commitment the social medial giant made in March when it agreed to make its U.S. housing ads searchable by location and advertiser.

Ads were only delivered selectively to Facebook users based on such data as what they earn, their education level and where they shop.

The audit’s leader, former American Civil Liberties Union Executive Laura Murphy, was hired by Facebook in May 2018 to assess its performance on vital social issues.

Murphy has consulted with dozens of civil rights groups on the subject as part of her yearlong audit, assisted by lawyers from the firm Relman, Dane & Colfax. Sunday’s 26-page report , which also deals with content moderation and enforcement and efforts to prevent meddling in the 2020 U.S. elections and census, was her second update.

The searchable housing ads database will roll out by the end of 2019, Facebook says, and Murphy said she expects the employment and financial product offerings databases to be available within the next year.

Murphy said she’s “very excited” about the move she believes will positively impact the social mobility of millions in the United States.

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