Google says the policy aims to prevent housing discrimination
Google has announced a change to its policies that will prevent real estate agents and lenders from targeting ads based on certain demographics and ZIP codes. The new policy is meant to prevent housing discrimination, according to Scott Spencer, vice president of product management, ads privacy and safety at Google.
For more than a decade, Google Ads has had personalized advertising policies that prohibit advertisers from targeting users on the basis of categories such as beliefs, identity or sexuality, Spencer said in an announcement about the new policy.
“This means we don’t allow advertisers to target ads based on categories such as race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation, to name a few,” Spencer said. “We regularly evaluate and evolve our polices to ensure they are protecting users from behaviors like unlawful discrimination.”
Spencer said the new policy is intended to “improve access to housing, employment, and credit opportunities.” The policy will prohibit “targeted employment, housing, and credit advertisers” from either targeting or excluding ads based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.
“While the changing circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic and business continuity issues for many advertisers make precise timelines difficult, we plan to roll out this update in the US and Canada as soon as possible and, in any event, by the end of this year,” Spencer said. “We will be providing advertisers with more information about how these changes may impact them in the coming weeks.”
Spencer said that Google had been working on the changes “for some time” in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
