Google, Twitter let advertisers target people using racist keywords

Google and Twitter allowed advertisers to target racist keywords, raising concerns about the implications for hate speech and discrimination in online advertising. A BuzzFeed News investigation discovered that Google's ad-buying tool suggested problematic keywords linked to racist sentiments. For example, when users typed phrases like "White people ruin ...," the tool suggested targeting searches for derogatory terms about Black individuals. Similarly, searches related to Jewish stereotypes prompted suggestions for ads alongside anti-Semitic phrases. Google later removed the problematic suggestions, saying they violated their policies against derogatory speech. Google’s senior vice president of ads acknowledged that while most offensive ads did not run, the presence of such suggestions was unacceptable and promised improvements to prevent future occurrences. A parallel investigation by The Daily Beast uncovered similar issues on Twitter. The platform allowed advertisers to target users based on keywords associated with hate speech, including terms like "wetback," "Nazi," and racial slurs. Twitter's advertising feature enabled customers to find users with interests linked to these derogatory terms, raising alarms about the potential for promoting hate through targeted ads. Both companies’ practices have drawn scrutiny, especially following a ProPublica report that highlighted similar issues on Facebook, where advertisers could target individuals based on explicitly anti-Semitic categories. In response to these findings, Facebook also pledged to enhance its ad review processes to prevent such targeting in the future. System 🤖 Google Keyword Planner Developer: Google; Twitter Country: USA Sector: Business/professional services; Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Identify advertising keywords Technology: Adver tising management system; Machine learning Issue: Fairness ; Safety; Transparency Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️ Buzzfeed. Google Allowed Advertisers To Target People Searching Racist Phrases Daily Beast. Twitter lets you target millions of users who may like the N word ProPublica . Facebook Enabled Advertisers to Reach ‘Jew Haters’

Date it happened

2017-09-01

Organisation involved

Google; xAI

Product, system or model

Keyword Planner

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.