September 10, 2024 — New York, NY
62% of U.S. Jewish adults have seen antisemitic content online or on social media at least once in the past 12 months
More than 20,000 people joined American Jewish Committee (AJC) today in calling on major tech and social media companies to take action against the prevalence and impact of antisemitism, support for terrorism, and misinformation about Jews and Israel online and on social media.
In their letter to companies including Meta, TikTok, X, and YouTube, they note “[i]t is the obligation of tech and social media companies to keep users safe from violative content, including that which praises, glorifies, or otherwise expresses support for terror groups. Failure to remove extremist content, especially in a time of increased violence, is a direct affront to the companies’ published community values and a violation of the public’s trust.”
In sending this letter to the companies, AJC CEO Ted Deutch said, “As the Jewish community mourns the recent horrific murders of six hostages by Hamas, this letter couldn’t be more timely. Antisemitism is increasing around the world and we must take proactive steps to prevent its spread. We have worked with many of these companies to better their policies against antisemitism and are now issuing this larger call to action to help create a safer online experience for Jews and all users across platforms.”
In July, AJC welcomed Meta's new policy recognizing how the word “Zionist” is often used as coded language to attack Jews and Israelis. Under this new policy, Meta will remove content targeting “Zionists” when the term is used to refer to Jews and Israelis with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence. AJC is grateful that TikTok implemented a similar policy update in January 2024 to protect its community and stop the spread of antisemitism online. AJC continues to urge other platforms to take similar action and to engage on other widespread phrases and dog whistles. AJC is currently working with Meta to address the implications of the recent announcement by the Oversight Board regarding the phrase “From the River to the Sea.”
AJC has cultivated critical working relationships with these companies and maintains open dialogue with staff and leadership to ensure that they not only fully understand the changing manifestations of contemporary antisemitism, but also that their platforms and products have a responsibility to effectively respond.
Even though many of these companies’ policies rightly do not tolerate antisemitism, according to AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, 62% of Jewish adults have seen antisemitic content online or on social media at least once in the past 12 months. More can and must be done.
The full letter to the companies can be found here.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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