TikTok and the videos on its platform are now frequently embroiled in global politics
TikTok CEO Hsu Chu and other executives recently met with 40 influential leaders, including many from the tech industry, who advocated for moderation of anti-Semitic content. I was wondering why pro-Palestinian videos are so popular on short video apps.
TikTok executives Adam Presser, head of operations, and Michael Beckerman, head of public policy, also attended the meeting four weeks ago, said Anthony Goldbloom, investment partner at AIX Ventures, who was among the tech industry attendees. It is said that he was doing so.
Goldbloom’s group includes data analysis of TikTok content and former Meta Platforms Inc. chief revenue officer David Fischer, Tinder co-founder Sean Rad, and Bonobos Inc. co-founder Andy Dunn. It was armed with a letter signed by 90 experts.
Goldbloom said the effort was done to encourage TikTok to honor its promise to “prevent harm.” Many of the letter signatories felt the app violated community principles, as harassment complaints on the site have spiked since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. TikTok’s principles also call for it to “enable freedom of expression.”
The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked a wave of hate crimes targeting Jews, Muslims, and Arabs around the world. The dispute has spread through social media platforms such as TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, and Elon Musk’s X. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. TikTok banned content that supports violent and hateful organizations in accordance with its community guidelines.
Once known primarily as a place for lip-syncing videos and comedy skits, TikTok and the videos on its platform are now frequently embroiled in global politics. The app has become extremely popular, especially among young people, and has more than 1 billion users. Due to its ubiquity and Chinese ownership, it has become a frequent target of politicians who have recently renewed calls for the app to be banned due to its heavy anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian content.
TikTok has met with other prominent critics amid public pressure to crack down on anti-Semitic harassment. According to the New York Times, more than a dozen Jewish TikTok creators and celebrities met with Presser and others earlier this month, including actors Sacha Baron Cohen, Debra Messing, and Amy Schumer.
In a video conference with Chew earlier this month, the tech industry group briefed the TikTok team on data compiled from hashtag information published by the app. Based on their analysis, the group found 54 opinions on pro-Palestinian hashtags for every opinion on #standwithIsrael. The group said this compares with data from a Harvard University Capps-Harris poll of 18- to 24-year-olds conducted in October, which showed support for Israel and Palestine is roughly equal. It is said that
The technology group pointed to an analysis by TikTok executives that found more than half of some pro-Palestinian videos come from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, highlighting the prevalence of cross-border videos in the United States. Asked. TikTok said during the meeting that there aren’t that many.
TikTok said counting the number of videos associated with a hashtag does not “provide sufficient context” about video trends. The hashtag #standwithIsrael may show fewer videos than #freePalestine, but it receives 68% more views per video in the U.S., meaning more people are seeing your content, the company said this month. Announced first. TikTok announced that 90% of videos posted in the U.S. with the tag #standwithIsrael were posted in the past 30 days.
The company also said that based on polling data, young people’s attitudes were biased against Palestine long before TikTok existed.
“This is an extremely difficult time for millions of people around the world and the TikTok community,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a video call requesting comment. “We feel it is important to meet and hear from creators, human rights experts, civil society, and other stakeholders to guide our continued efforts to keep our global community safe. .”
After the meeting, TikTok issued a statement saying the platform’s analytics using hashtags were flawed, Goldbloom said. TikTok previously used hashtag comparison itself in response to questions about related hashtags on the app.
TikTok announced that from October 7th to November 17th, it removed more than 1.1 million videos in disputed territories for violating its content rules. TikTok removed 1.6 million videos containing hate speech and acts around the world during the same period. It also includes anti-Semitism.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
