Google announced new policies that will prevent housing, employment, and credit advertisers from targeting or excluding ads based on ZIP codes and demographics in an effort to prevent housing discrimination online.

Google’s announcement is an expansion of its existing policies prohibiting advertisers from targeting or excluding ads based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.

“We will continue to strive to set policies that improve inclusion and access for users,” the company stated in an announcement.

Google worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement the changes to its policy. Google’s move follows in the steps of Facebook, which announced numerous changes to its ad platform last year after being accused of allowing housing discrimination with its targeted ad tool.

“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 U.S. and Canada as soon as possible and, in any event, by the end of this year,” Google said in its announcement. “We will be providing advertisers with more information about how these changes may impact them in the coming weeks.”

Source: "Google to Prevent Housing Ads Targeting ZIP Codes, Demographics"