On Friday, March 8, the UJCVP joined with other Jewish Federations from across North America for a crucial virtual briefing on the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” (HR 7521).

This bipartisan bill, backed by the Jewish Federations of North America, would give the administration powerful tools to pressure TikTok, one of the most powerful platforms pushing antisemitism today, and force its owners to make tough choices to keep it running. Specifically, it would give the administration tremendous leverage by allowing it to block app stores from carrying it, and force a divestment from its Chinese ownership.

“We know that social media is a major driver of the rise in antisemitism and that TikTok is the worst offender by far,” added Eric Fingerhut, JFNA President and CEO. “Recently, TikTok’s governmental affairs advisor in Israel resigned from the company in protest of the app’s overt bias and sympathy for terror with regard to the events of October 7th.”

TikTok is different from other social media sites where users mostly see posts from people they follow. TikTok’s algorithm, in contrast, automatically begins playing videos for users that appear to be related to their interests, rather than only responding to topics the user is actively looking for. The app refines what it exposes the user to based on factors like how long the user watches a given video. If you use the app to consume news, as many young users do, watching videos about topics related to Israel or the war could lead the app to rapidly offer up antisemitic or conspiratorial content.

The Wall Street Journal created test accounts for eight hypothetical 13-year-olds and found that within hours, the app was sending apocalyptic, conspiratorial and “highly polarized content, reflecting often extreme pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel positions.” Amajority of those posts “supported the Palestinian view.”

Until recently, researchers and lawmakers used a tool on the TikTok app to search for content related to the Israel-Hamas war. What they found was an inordinate amount of pro-Palestinian content. In January, TikTok quietly turned off that particular search feature, making it harder to do this kind of research.

With over half of all adults getting their news from social media, and much higher proportions of young people turning to TikTok, in particular, for their news, the content social platforms choose to show them can have major impacts on public opinion. TikTok has an antisemitism problem. One study found that people who use TikTok for 30 minutes or more daily are 17% more likely to hold antisemitic or anti-Israel views, compared with 6% for Instagram and 2% for X. Another study found that in just one year, antisemitic comments on TikTok rose 912%.

Leaders and supporters of Jewish Federations across North America, together, with many local community organizations and members of Congress, have spoken out against this development.

To get involved in the UJCVP’s advocacy efforts combatting antisemitism, visit www.ujcvp.org/jcrc