(Newser)
– Employers who want a demographically balanced set of job seekers may not get it, despite their efforts. Researchers have found that Facebook often displays job postings by gender that dominate that position or industry. The findings suggest that there are biases in the site ‘s algorithms, the Wall Street Journal reports. During a surveillance period near the end of last year, Facebook disproportionately displayed ads for men from Domino’s Pizza delivery drivers, while women saw ads for grocery buyers on Instacart. The finding was applied to jobs of various skill levels, including high-tech ones. This indicates “a platform whose algorithm learns and perpetuates the existing difference in employee demographics,” researchers at the University of Southern California wrote. Facebook said Friday it is taking action against bias in ads.
“It’s not that the user says,‘ Oh, I’m interested in that. ’Facebook has decided, on behalf of the user, whether they are likely to participate,” said Aleksandra Korolova, the study’s author. “And the fact that historically a certain group wasn’t interested in participating in something doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the opportunity to pursue it, especially in the job category.” The practice could be at risk of violating anti-discrimination laws, according to the PA. The federal government has said that protected classes of people should not be disadvantaged by the way ads are presented. The study found no evidence that the ads were skewed on LinkedIn. The company said it was bitter with its findings, though it is still concerned about the issue. Korolova said LinkedIn might be better at blocking biases, or that Facebook might be better at recognizing user cues and perpetuating gender imbalances. (Read more stories of gender bias.)