Facebook is not in a good position after the United States Department of Justice accused the social media platform of discriminating against American workers.
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. This is the second day of testimony before Congress by Zuckerberg, 33, after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign.
The department claimed that the tech giant company has hiring preferences to immigrants. The filed lawsuit claims that Facebook is refusing to consider, hire, or recruit available and qualified U.S. citizens for more than 2,600 positions.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that the social media giant offered job positions to foreigners on temporary visas, as reported by BBC News.
On the other hand, the DoJ said that most of these positions offer $156,000 every year, which will really be helpful to those Americans in need, especially during the ongoing pandemic.
"Facebook intentionally created a hiring system in which it denied qualified US workers a fair opportunity to learn about and apply for jobs," said the U.S. Department of Justice via The Guardian UK.
Facebook focuses on temporary H-1B visa owners
According to the lawsuit filed on Thursday, Dec. 3, Facebook created a hiring system that favors mostly temporary H-1B visa owners, as well as other temporary workers in the United States.
In this photo illustration the Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen on March 25, 2009 in London, England. The British government has made proposals which would force Social networking websites such as Facebook to pass on details of users, friends and contacts to help fight terrorism.
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DoJ explained that the lawsuit was filed after a two-year investigation into Facebook's hiring methods. It is also seeking back pay on behalf of American workers, who are denied employment at Facebook.
Eric S. Dreidband, the assistant attorney general for the department's civil rights division, explained that DoJ will hold the companies accountable if they refuse employment opportunities by illegally preferring temporary visa holders.
Facebook is coordinating with the DoJ
Daniel Roberts, Facebook's spokesperson, said that the social media firm is already coordinating with the U.S. Department of Justice to review the current issue. He added that Facebook will dispute the allegations in the latest complaint.
However, Roberts said that they can't provide additional information about pending litigation. This new lawsuit is just one example that the Trump administration is battling against Silicon Valley over attempts to restrict immigration for foreign employees.
Republican lawmakers also fought against Facebook in other areas, including the accusation that the social media platform stifles conservative comments.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
