SHUT IT DOWN

Major Ad Tech Company Bans Breitbart for Hate Speech

Because articles use “coded or overt language” to incite violence.

Amid national controversy over how major social-media websites like Facebook and Google should deal with an onslaught of so-called “fake news” websites, one major ad-tech provider has barred “alt-right,” pro-Trump website Breitbart News from using it services because of its use of hate speech. Following President-elect Donald Trump’s hiring of Breitbart’s former executive chairman Steve Bannon as his chief strategist, AppNexus Inc. analyzed the right-wing website’s content and concluded that it had breached the ad firm’s polic against content inciting violence. “We did a human audit of Breitbart and determined there were enough articles and headlines that cross that line, using either coded or overt language,” an AppNexus spokesperson told Bloomberg. “This blacklist was solely about hate speech violation,” the rep added, stressing that it has nothing to do with Breitbart’s famously pro-Trump editorial bend. Because Breitbart does not directly buy ads through AppNexus, “it’s unclear how much of a financial impact this may have, but it could lower the price of ads on Breitbart because there will be less supply,” Bloomberg reporter Mark Bergen noted.