Some Jewish influencers are not happy with TikTok‘s response to inflammatory language. During a private call held five weeks after the outbreak of war in the Middle East, celebs like Sacha Baron Cohen, Debra Messing, and Amy Schumer criticized TikTok’s perceived inaction toward a growing “antisemitic movement” on its platform.
The call was organized by TikTok’s Head of Operations, Adam Presser, and its Global Head of User Operations Seth Melnick. The execs, both of whom are Jewish, held the meeting to discuss the alarming rise of antisemitic rhetoric on TikTok since October 7. At least 30 people joined the call, including the Jewish celebs listed above.
“What is happening at TikTok is it is creating the biggest antisemitic movement since the Nazis,” Baron Cohen said during the call. He argued that TikTok could simply “flip a switch” to curb Jewish hate among its community.
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Since the renewal of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, antisemitic and islamophobic voices have been amplified on social media. According to data from the Anti-Defamation League shared by The New York Times, there has been almost ten times more antisemitic content on X since October 7. On Facebook, the increase is 28%.
That uptick has also been seen on TikTok. Some observers have remarked that the app’s Chinese overlords could be subtly boosting rhetoric that undermines Western powers. In response, a group of 43 Jewish influencers published an open letter in which they asked TikTok to improve its safety tools, moderate fairly, prioritize objective content, and move quickly in response to physical threats. Signees included Baron Cohen, Messing, and Schumer as well as social media stars like Eitan Bernath, Montana Tucker, and Elliot Tebele of Fuck Jerry.
“We recognize this is an incredibly difficult and fearful time for millions of people around the world and in our TikTok community,” reads a statement from TikTok. “Our leadership has been meeting with creators, civil society, human rights experts and stakeholders to listen to their experiences and feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community, discovery and sharing authentically.”
Presser and Melnick displayed empathy during the contentious call, but Presser also claimed that there’s no “magic button” TikTok can press to make antisemitism go away. Meanwhile, other creators are urging social media users to exhibit better judgment in order to combat misinformation. In a recent upload on his Mogul Mail channel, Ludwig Ahgren defied widespread media narratives that have popped up after some TikTokers responded favorably to Osama Bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America.”
The fight against misleading and hateful rhetoric may not be as simple as critics like Baron Cohen may think. But TikTok execs conceded that they can be doing more. “Obviously a lot of what Sacha says, there’s truth to that,” Presser said during the call.
