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22 AWEMainta .com Diaranson, 20 October 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Facebook settles US worker

discrimination claims

Facebook has agreed to pay a record $14.5m (£10.1m) to It also claimed Facebook
settle claims it discriminated against US workers in its hiring used recruiting methods
practices. "designed to deter US
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) had claimed the tech workers from applying to
giant routinely overlooked US workers in favour of foreign certain positions", such
ones on temporary visas. as requiring applications
It is the biggest penalty of its kind issued by the DOJ's Civil to be submitted by post
Rights Division.Facebook said it "strongly believes" it met the only.
federal government's standards."Facebook is not above the The DOJ said this
law, and must comply with our nation's federal civil rights violated the Immigration
laws, which prohibit discriminatory recruitment and hiring and Nationality Act (INA), which prohibits employers from
practices," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of discriminating against workers because of their citizenship or
the DOJ. immigration status.
Those who allegedly missed out included US citizens, US
"Companies cannot set aside certain positions for temporary nationals, asylees, refugees and lawful permanent residents,
visa holders because of their citizenship or immigration it said.
status."
'Hiring the best'
The US tech sector often uses temporary visas, including the
H-1B, to bring highly skilled foreign guest workers to the Under the settlement, Facebook will pay a civil penalty of
US. It argues they are vital, because there are not enough $4.75m to the US government, and up to $9.5m to eligible
American science and engineering graduates to fill the jobs victims of the alleged discrimination.
available in areas such as artificial intelligence.
The tech giant will also be required to conduct "more expansive
But critics say the laws governing temporary visas are lax, advertising and recruitment for its job opportunities" and
and make it too easy to replace US workers with cheaper accept electronic CVs or applications from all US workers who
foreign labour - something US law prohibits. apply.
In October last year, the Trump administration tightened It will also be subject to ongoing audits by the US Department
the requirements for H-1Bs - something some interpreted as of Labor.
being an attempt to deter foreign workers. "While we strongly believe we met the federal government's
US tightens temporary worker visa rules standards in our permanent labour certification practices,
Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU to work on metaverse we've reached agreements to end the ongoing litigation and
Facebook denies failings on hate speech removal move forward," a Facebook spokesperson said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that from January
2018 until September 2019, Facebook had "refused" to They added that the company intends to "continue our focus
recruit, consider or hire US workers for more than 2,600 on hiring the best builders from both the US and around the
jobs. world."

@BBC @CNN International @euronews

North Korea confirms US President Biden's $1.9 Three employees at

'successful' submarine-launched the industrial park are
suspected of negligent homicide
missile test trillion American Rescue Plan and negligently causing an

is contributing to elevated explosion. * Leverkusen

inflation but it isn't expected

to overheat the economy, a

new research paper from the

San Francisco Federal Reserve

concludes.