Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
In 2016, the ad tech company AppNexus took a stand against hate speech. Just two weeks after the election of Donald *****, CEO Brian O’Kelley announced he was dropping service to Breitbart. A string of articles on Muslim immigrants and female genital mutilation had been beyond the pale, O’Kelley said, leaving him no choice but to cut ties with the then-prominent right-wing site.
AppNexus specializes in technology for auctioning online ads, which helps websites make money targeting ads to specific audiences. Cutting off that technology meant less money for Breitbart — a tangible cost for the site’s controversial content and, for critics, a minor but real check on online speech.
“We do have a real obligation to use advertising to support…