Report: Facebook Allowed Advertisers to Target ‘White Genocide’ Enthusiasts
REALLY?
Even three days after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
Facebook let advertisers target users interested in “white genocide conspiracy theory” in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, The Intercept reports. The outlet was able to select the category to promote two stories just days after the massacre, and Facebook’s advertising wing reportedly approved the promotion. After the outlet contacted Facebook about the targeting category, the company deleted it and apologized. Spokesperson Joe Osborne told The Intercept the category was “generated through a mix of automated and human reviews, but any newly added interests are ultimately approved by people.” “It’s against our advertising principles and never should have been in our system to begin with. We deeply apologize for this error,” Osborne said. ProPublica previously revealed that advertisers were able to target their ads to users interested in topics such as “‘Jew hater” and “How to burn jews.” Facebook then said it was attempting to remedy the problem.
