Meta, the current parent company to both Facebook and Instagram, did not share why billions of users might see certain posts that were not seen by others. However, a group of academic professionals from Princeton and the University of Southern California took matters into their own hands, The Intercept reported.

The group purchased ads from Facebook and tracked their performance among real Facebook users, revealing “evidence of racial discrimination in Meta’s algorithmic delivery of ads for education opportunities, posing legal and ethical concerns.”

For-profit colleges like DeVry and Grand Canyon University were the targets of the study, especially since both schools have been listed among those fined or sued by the Department of Education for advertising trickery.

According to researchers, for-profit colleges have had a “long, demonstrable history of deceiving prospective students,” homing in on students of color through the use of predatory marketing “while delivering lackluster educational outcomes and diminished job prospects” in comparison to other educational institutions.

The group purchased sets of two ads paired together to conduct the study. Therefore, one campaign would be for a public institution like Colorado State University, and the other would focus on a for-profit company such as Strayer University, both of which the report claims were not involved in this project.

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