Alarmed by the apparent wave of anti-Semitic content and misinformation on TikTok following Hamas’ terrorist massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, a group of Jewish celebrities and influencers met with executives at the video app this week to express their concerns.
At TikTok’s invitation, more than 30 people joined the 90-minute video call, including actors Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Schumer and Debra Messing. Variety has confirmed details of the Nov. 15 meeting, first reported by The New York Times.
The overall tone of the meeting was respectful and productive, according to a person familiar with the call. But at times the discussion became very heated.
“What is happening with TikTok is that it is spawning the largest anti-Semitic movement since the Nazis. Shame on you,” Cohen told executives, according to an audio recording of the meeting. He also said: “If you think back to October 7, the reason Hamas was able to behead young people and rape women is because they were fed images from their childhood that led them to hate.”
Messing questioned why TikTok doesn’t ban the phrase “from the river to the sea” – which many interpret as a dog whistle calling for the destruction of Israel – from the app. “It’s much more responsible to ban it at this point than to say, ‘Well, some people are using it in a different way than it was intended,'” Messing said. “I understand that you are in a very, very difficult and complicated situation, but you are also the main platform for spreading Jew hatred.”
During the call, TikTok Head of Operations Adam Presser affirmed to participants, “We can do better.” He also said, “Hearing that this place, this platform, this community that has brought you so much joy and each of you as Individual helps becomes a place that feels like a place where you’re not sure you want to spend time.”…that’s devastating.”
Representatives for TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, did not respond to a request for comment on the call.
The meeting came after a group of 43 Jewish celebrities and influencers — including Schumer and Messing — posted an open letter to TikTok about these issues earlier this month. “Dear TikTok, your platform is not safe for Jewish users,” it reads. “Simply put, TikTok lacks key security features to protect Jewish content creators and the broader Jewish TikTok community, putting us at risk digitally and physically. The company and its thousands of employees in public policy, YouTuber partnerships, product development and content moderation – who are supposed to protect users – are not doing enough.”
Meanwhile, TikTok has come under fire after videos promoting Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America,” a story about the terrorist attacks he orchestrated against the United States on September 11, 2001, were shared millions of times platform were viewed. In response, TikTok said it blocked the hashtag “#LettertoAmerica” and “aggressively removed” videos about bin Laden’s letter. At the same time, it claimed the number of videos was “low” and “reports of it trending on our platform are inaccurate.” TikTok also said content related to bin Laden’s letter had appeared “across multiple platforms and media outlets.”
Earlier this week, TikTok wrote in a blog post that it was “responding quickly and forcefully to the Israel-Hamas war” and said: “Given the misinformation and mischaracterizations about how the TikTok platform actually works, it is important that everyone do so.” has.” Facts.”
According to TikTok, the number of videos linked to a hashtag alone “does not provide sufficient context.” For example, the hashtag #standwithIsrael may have fewer videos than #freePalestine, but the former has 68% more views per video in the US. Additionally, “the content people see on TikTok is generated by our community and our recommendations are based on the content people have previously engaged with,” the company said in the blog post. “TikTok does not ‘promote’ one side of an issue over another.”
TikTok has also increased its efforts to remove fake accounts and engagements. According to the company, since Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, TikTok has removed more than 24 million fake accounts worldwide and more than 500,000 “bot comments” on content under hashtags related to the conflict.
In 2022, TikTok said it removed 100% of anti-Semitic or Holocaust-denying content reported through its community partner channel. The company says it removes about 90% of hate speech before it is reported.
“We recognize that there is always more work to be done when it comes to platform security, and the more we learn, the more we do,” TikTok said. “We welcome honest, open dialogue in all of these areas and will continue to work with our community, civil society, nonprofits and others to protect our community and remain a welcoming space for authentic self-expression.”