Facebook to make jobs, credit ads searchable

Facebook says it plans to make advertisements for U.S. jobs and loans and credit card offers searchable for all users.

That's in addition to how the social media giant currently delivers ads — customized for individuals based on data harvested from their digital activity.

Creation of the jobs and credit databases is a voluntary expansion by Facebook of a legal settlement it reached in March following lawsuits complaining of age, race, gender and other discrimination blamed on Facebook's highly customized ad-targeting.

As part of that settlement, Facebook agreed to make its U.S. housing ads searchable by location and advertiser.

An internal audit Facebook published yesterday indicates that database will be ready by year's end. Audit leader Laura Murphy says she expects the jobs and credit products databases to be available within the next year.