Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with the senior global management of social media company TikTok at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
The meeting came amid the rise of antisemitism on TikTok since the onset of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7th.
Herzog presented examples of hate-filled conspiracy theories and false information uploaded to the platform regarding the barbaric attack of 7 October, as well as shocking and graphic content, antisemitic expressions and narratives, denial and disdain for the Holocaust, and other troubling examples of antisemitism prevalent on TikTok, which has 1.5 billion monthly users.
While some content had been removed after a prolonged review, other examples of vile antisemitic content had remained on the platform when Herzog presented it to the TikTok executives.
Antisemitism on TikTok
The representatives of TikTok – which included Michael Beckerman, Vice President for Public Policy for the Americas at TikTok, and Theo Bertram, Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy for Europe at TikTok – told the President that more than 160 million “fake accounts” were removed by TikTok since October 7 Both executives had already been in Israel as part of a planned trip to combat the significant increase in cases of antisemitism and the spread of anti-Israel hatred throughout the platform, notably since the beginning of the war with Hamas.
Beckerman and Bertram said they were deeply disturbed by the findings of the research and evidence presented during the meeting and pledged to continue working with the President's Office and Israeli officials to do everything in their power to eradicate antisemitism from the platform.
"We must fight lies and hatred wherever we find them: on the streets and online on social networks in order to prevent the manipulation of and negative impact on public opinion among the next generation around the world,” Herzog declared at the meeting. “I thank the executives from TikTok for this honest and open conversation, and for their willingness to face this vital challenge,” the President announced.