Facebook allowed advertisers to target 'Jew haters'

Embarrassing discovery that Facebook let advertisers target users interested in antisemitic topics comes as the social network's ad practices are under scrutiny

• Opinion: Why does Facebook allow advertisers to target 'Jew haters'?

Facebook has allowed advertisers to target users interested in the topics of "Jew hater" and "How to burn Jews", according to an investigation that adds to mounting criticisms of the way the company allows and profits from unethical ads.

ProPublica, an investigative news organization, reported on Thursday that the social network's self-service ad-buying system allowed people to direct advertisements to nearly 2,300 users interested in several explicitly antisemitic subjects, including a category labeled "History of 'why Jews ruin the world'".