ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Antisemitic content is proving to be a persistent problem across social media as major platforms fail to protect Jewish targets, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). 

Nine social media platforms were surveyed and graded by the ADL's Center on Technology and Society: Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Roblox, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. ADL's investigators found repeated examples of antisemitic content on all of them.

“Online hate has affected more and more people in recent years, especially those in marginalized communities, despite platforms’ claims to be improving policies, enforcement, and transparency,” ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said. “Our new research evaluated nine platforms on their ability to mitigate antisemitic content and we were frustrated but unsurprised to see mediocre grades across the board.”

The "Online Antisemitism Report Card" found that Twitter and YouTube earned the highest grade - a B-minus. Twitter received higher marks for innovation and high data accessibility. YouTube received praise for taking action on reports from an "ordinary" user and making product-level efforts to address antisemitism. 

Reddit and Twitch each received a C due to both platforms having strong policies regarding hate-filled content that include explicit protections for specific groups. However, Reddit didn't take action on reported content, and Twitch doesn't have a formal trusted flagging system.

Facebook, Instagram, Discord, and TikTok all received a C-minus. 
Facebook took no action on content reported. TikTok has made innovative product changes, allowing users to report up to 100 comments at once and block accounts in bulk, however, researchers couldn't access the platform's data and TikTok failed to take action on content reported through ordinary users' accounts. Discord's grade was due to a failure to take action on content reported as well as limited data accessibility. 

The worst grade went to Roblox, with a D-minus, with the social media platform falling short in most categories. Content reported was neither responded to nor acted on; for example, an audio file making jokes about the Holocaust.

“These companies keep corrosive content on their platforms because it’s good for their bottom line, even if it contributes to antisemitism, disinformation, hate, racism, and harassment,” Greenblatt said.

“It’s past time for tech companies to step up and invest more of their millions in profit to protect the vulnerable communities harmed on their platforms. Platforms have to start putting people over profit.”