Interparliamentary Task Force To Combat Online Antisemitism Members Press Tech Leaders to Step Up Efforts to Remove Hate, Better Moderate Platforms
“While online platforms can foster global connections, especially amid this pandemic, they also provoke and magnify antisemitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry. It is our responsibility, on behalf of our constituents, to fight back against these expressions of online discrimination.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism questioned top global social media officials on their efforts to confront hate, and challenged these platform representatives to increase their efforts to remove hateful content more quickly.
“While online platforms can foster global connections, especially amid this pandemic, they also provoke and magnify antisemitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23). “It is our responsibility, on behalf of our constituents, to fight back against these expressions of online discrimination.”
To watch the entire, hearing click this link.
Co-chaired by Wasserman Schultz and Canadian Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather, the Interparliamentary Task Force consists of a multi-partisan group of parliamentarians from around the world, with additional representatives from Canada and the United States, and members from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Israel.
The group works closely with the European Commission’s Working Group on Combatting Antisemitism, which also participated in the hearings.
Much of the escalation in antisemitism begins online, and top technology leaders discussed how their platforms work to combat it. The hearing had two panels. The first panel consisted of Ambassadors and Special Envoys To Combat Antisemitism, including Deborah Lipstadt of the United States, Irwin Cotler of Canada, Fernando Lotteberg of the OAS and Noa Tishby of Israel. The second panel included representatives of the largest social media platforms: Meta, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
The hearings framed the rise of online antisemitism within the broader global context, and focused on recommendations to decrease antisemitic rhetoric and violence online, and efforts to increase algorithm transparency and potential regulations to deal with both illegal and hate-driven social media.
Launched in September 2020, the Task Force is focused on increasing awareness of and developing responses and solutions to growing online antisemitism. It is comprised of bipartisan legislators and parliamentarians from Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Members of the Task Force include: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, United States), Congressman Ted Deutch (Democrat, United States), Congressman Chris Smith (Republican, United States), Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (Republican, United States),, Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather (Liberal, Canada), Member of Parliament Marty Morantz (Conservative, Canada), Member of Parliament Randall Garrison (NDP, Canada), Member of Parliament Josh Burns (Labour, Australia), Senator James Paterson (Liberal, Australia), Member of Parliament Andrew Percy (Conservative, United Kingdom), Member of Parliament Alex Sobel (Labour and Cooperative, United Kingdom), Member of Parliament Madeleine Hicklin (Democratic Alliance, South Africa), Member of Parliament Michael Bagraim (Democratic Alliance, South Africa), Member of Parliament Glynnis Breytenbach (Democratic Alliance, South Africa), Member of Parliament Darren Bergman (Democratic Alliance, South Africa), Member of Parliament Simon O’Connor (National Party, New Zealand), Member of Parliament Vanushi Walters (Labour, New Zealand), Member of Knesset, Yasmin Fridman (Yesh Atid, Israel), Member of Knesset Yoav Gallant (Likud, Israel) former Member of Parliament Michael Levitt (Liberal, Canada) and former Member of Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh (Blue and White, Israel).