Mark Zuckerberg’s legal woes do not seem limited to getting regulators to approve of Libra, but now Facebook is facing accusations of discriminating against women and old consumers.
A class action lawsuit against the Menlo Park company last week alleges that the social media network is withholding advertising from banks, insurer and other financial services from old and female consumers, according to Reuters.
The suit was filed in a San Francisco federal court and stated that by given financial firms the right to target customers depending on their age and gender violated state laws.
“The internet is not a place where you can discriminate against people because of their age or gender, particularly in financial services opportunities,” Peter Romer-Friedman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the law firm Outten & Golden, told Reuters. “It would be like General Motors refusing to offer women or older people the same features on a car as men or younger people.”
A Facebook spokesperson stated that it was reviewing the case.
The suit comes as Facebook is facing increased pressure from lawmakers regarding Libra, the cryptocurrency that the Zuck’s enterprise is spearheading and providing an e-wallet, Calibra, for.
As the leading member of the Libra Association, the organisation behind the digital currency, the company has found itself in the crosshairs of lawmakers and regulators around the world over the past few months.
In October, Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook, had to testify in front of the US congress during a six-hour marathon where he had to respond to their concerns about user privacy and states’ financial sovereignty.
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