After all the push "to be inclusive", hearing stories of candidates being rejected as "too old" is mind boggling. This is just hypocritical: companies push the inclusive agenda only when it benefits them, but if they have a slight doubt they will use whatever excuse to turn a person down. And ghosting again...
Look, I understand, that you may not go into too many details, when rejecting a candidate, because it would take time. But providing just one reason, which is probably already written down in your file(s) is still much better than nothing. Or even just "sorry, we do not feel a connection with you".
I also get being picky: if you read my reviews of TV shows, movies, anime and games, you can see, that I sometimes drop a piece of media, because of things, that others will find superficial. I do that because I do not want to invest too much time into something, that does not hook me, because there is just too much media, and too little time. I do not want to invest that time, since it will not benefit me in the long run.
But... When you are hiring someone, you are not investing your time into something practically useless. You are investing into your own success and profits. If candidate ticks all your boxes besides age - give the guy/gal a chance. You have probation period for that. And even if it's not the age, but something else - just say so. Again: even "not feeling it" will be better. Yes, it's obscure. Yes, it's non-constructive. But, at least, it's not an attack on something a person has no control over.
It boggles my mind, how HR people know, that general consensus among non-HR people is to *hate* HR people, and yet they continuing doing stuff, that drives people towards hate. And towards tragedy.
Be better.
