New Facebook agreement prevents ad discrimination on its platform

Facebook entered into a new agreement with Washington state forcing the social media giant to change its policies nationwide to prevent advertisers of housing, credit, employment, insurance and public accommodations from discriminating based on race, the state's Office of the Attorney General announced.

The details: An investigation by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson into Facebook found that advertisers were excluding people by race when using Facebook's a "multicultural affinity" category in its ad targeting tool. This new regulation removes that category from its exclusion tool on all advertisements.

What they're saying: Will Castleberry, vice president of State and Local policy for Facebook, said the company appreciates the attention brought to the matter and are "pleased to have reached an agreement" with Ferguson's office.

“Discriminatory advertising has no place on our platform, and we'll continue to improve our ad products so they're relevant, effective and safe for everyone.”