'Error' Temporarily Allowed Ads To Target Sensitive Terms On Twitter

Twitter Inc TWTR has admitted that it temporarily allowed ad targeting with sensitive terms such as "neo-Nazi," “white supremacist” and “anti-gay,” according The Verge.

BBC Tests Keywords On Twitter 

In the BBC’s latest keyword targeting test on Twitter, the news organization said it was able advertise to people using terms like "neo-Nazi."

The social media platform later apologized for the error and fixed it.

“Twitter has specific policies related to keyword targeting, which exist to protect the public conversation. Preventative measures include banning certain sensitive or discriminatory terms, which we update on a continuous basis,” Twitter said in a statement to The Verge. 

"We continue to enforce our ads policies, including restricting the promotion of content in a wide range of areas, including inappropriate content targeting minors."  

A Problem For Many Social Media Platforms 

The policies of social media platforms on targeting have sparked several debates in recent years.

Facebook, Inc. FB in 2019 revised its ads policies to stop advertisers from excluding certain users on the basis of race and other categories protected by federal law.

The Guardian reported in 2018 that advertisers could use Facebook to target users based on their sensitive interests.

Twitter Price Action

The stock was down 1.11% at $33.81 at the time of publication Friday. 

Posted In: NewsTechMediaBBCsocial mediathe GuardianThe Verge
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