The US government has announced that the social media titan will pay $ 14.3 million in various settlement agreements.
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Published October 19, 2021
Facebook Inc. has reached an agreement with the US government on allegations that it discriminated against domestic workers by keeping thousands of jobs for foreigners with temporary H-1B visas.
The government announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to pay up to $ 14.3 million in separate settlement agreements with the Justice and Labor Department.
“Facebook is not above the law, and must abide by our country’s federal civil rights law, which prohibits discriminatory employment,” said Christine Clark, assistant attorney general for the Department of Civil Rights.
Justice and Labor Department officials told reporters in a brief statement that Facebook would not allow Americans to apply for certain jobs in Menlo Park, California.
The Department of Justice announced that the social media company had agreed to pay a $ 4.75 million fine and another $ 9.5 million to the victims of discrimination. “This resolution reflects the commitment of the Civil Rights Division to hold employers accountable,” Clark said.
Shares of the company rose 1.3% to $ 339.74 in New York at 3:08 p.m.
Although Facebook believes the company has complied with government verification practices in an email statement, it has reached out to the settlements to move forward with the immigration program as a whole and to support high-skilled visa holders seeking permanent residency.
Facebook is under pressure on many fronts, most notably former staffer Francis Hawgen, who has shared thousands of internal investigations and documents with the media and testified before Congress. She says the company has made a profit by saving money, undermining democracy and harming the mental health of its young users.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal published some internal research presented by Hawgen in his testimony before the Senate Trade Committee on October 5. At the hearing, she criticized Facebook for not prioritizing the safety of its users. Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s founder and CEO, denied the allegations.
Anti-monopoly laws
The company is suing the Federal Trade Commission for violating anti-monopoly laws and seeking to repeal Instagram and WhatsApp purchases.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Facebook alleging that the company “refused to hire, consider, or employ more than 2,600 jobs” and instead placed the jobs – $ 156,000 on average. Citizens sponsored permanent work permits with green cards.
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