AppNexus bans Breitbart from ad network,
citing hate speech
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[November 23, 2016]
By Deborah M. Todd
(Reuters) - Breitbart News, the outlet once
led by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist, has been
blocked by one of the largest advertising networks serving digital
publishers due to hate speech.
AppNexus deactivated Breitbart News after an audit of the site's content
determined that it violates the advertising network's code of conduct
banning hate speech, spokesman Joshua Zeitz said on Tuesday.
Breitbart Chief Executive Officer Larry Solov said the company "always
and continues to condemn racism and bigotry in any form," in an email
statement.
The ban comes as the alt-right movement, which includes neo-Nazis, white
supremacists and anti-Semites, are being emboldened by Trump winning the
White House.
Trump on Tuesday condemned the alt-right in a New York Times interview.
Breitbart was previously headed by Steve Bannon, Trump's campaign
chairman and chief strategist. The news organization has drawn criticism
for promoting far-right, sometimes racist views.
Trump's appointment of Bannon was denounced by civil rights
organizations and minority groups including the Southern Poverty Law
Center, the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American Islamic
Relations.
Advertising companies like AppNexus sell digital ad campaigns to
advertisers and then place the ads on sites that are part of the
network. The company has secured deals with publishers including
Foursquare, Groupon Inc and Nasdaq Inc.
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Zeitz said the AppNexus move was apolitical and the domain can be
reactivated once the content in question is addressed.
"We have no interest in turning off sites because of ideology.
That's not what this is about. This is about specific content that
violates the hate speech code," he said.
Breitbart has used racial slurs and derogatory terms related to
sexual orientation on its site that AppNexus feared could incite
violence against those groups.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/23/images/ads/current/cia_lda_CHRISTMAS_2016.png)
While the step could reduce demand for Breitbart ad inventory and
thus cost the site money, AppNexus competitors such as DataXu and
OpenX Software offer comparable services, according to tech market
research firm CB Insights.
The ban was first reported by Bloomberg News.
(Reporting by Deborah M. Todd in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan
Weber and Lisa Shumaker)
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