Gantz: Extremists spread misinformation on Facebook and TikTok
In response, the Facebook and TikTok executives expressed commitment to prevent incitement from their platforms.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: MAY 15, 2021 08:12Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz attends a conference of the Israeli Television News Company in Jerusalem on March 7, 2021. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)
Justice Minister Benny Gantz held a Zoom meeting last Thursday night with Facebook and TikTok executives regarding anti-Israel content that has been uploaded or published on their platforms. Gantz called on the executives to remove content which can possibly incite violence or spread misinformation. Gantz stressed that immediate action must be taken to prevent as much violence as possible. "These are measures that will directly prevent the violence that is being intentionally stirred through social media by extremist elements that are seeking to do damage to our country," Gantz stated. In response, the Facebook and TikTok executives expressed commitment to prevent incitement from their platforms. Attendees of the zoom meeting included Facebook executive Nick Clegg, Vice President for Global Affairs and Communications and Theo Bertram, TikTok's Director of Government Relations and Public Policy in Europe.According to University of Haifa Prof. Gabriel Weimann, there is an alarming amount of fake news, and anti-Israel and anti-Jewish messaging being shared on TikTok in recent days.“Since no one controls, regulates or checks these videos, you can post whatever you want,” he told The Jerusalem Post. “There are a lot of lies.”One video, for example, shows the tree that burned on top of the Temple Mount earlier this week. But in the film, the TikToker accuses Israel of trying to burn down al-Aqsa Mosque.As in past conflicts between Israel and Gaza, social media has emerged as a battleground, far from the actual fighting, for activists on both sides to trumpet their opinions. But perhaps more than in any previous conflagration with Gaza, social media has enabled those outside of the region to see what’s happening almost in real-time. And activists across the spectrum have recognized the power these images have to shape the narrative on the ground.Maayan Hoffman and Shira Hanau contributed to this report.
