The company in recent weeks organized several in-person meetings between its top executive and Jewish groups and business leaders.
Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, has taken a hands-on approach in addressing concerns that the app has been a breeding ground for anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric during the Israel-Hamas conflict. Demonstrating the seriousness with which the company is handling these criticisms, Mr. Chew, based in Singapore, has engaged in personal meetings with various prominent Jewish groups and leaders, both in New York and through video calls.
These meetings, facilitated by TikTok, involved discussions with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, UJA-Federation of New York, and the Anti-Defamation League. Additionally, Mr. Chew participated in a call with numerous Jewish tech and business leaders, including founders of Tinder and Bonobos, along with Facebook’s former chief revenue officer.
During these sessions, Mr. Chew expressed his intent to listen and clarified how the company moderates misinformation and hate speech. TikTok, like other social networks, faced criticism for spreading misleading information and hate speech since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, gaining extra scrutiny due to its ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company, and its increasing influence as a news source for young Americans.
Lawmakers have renewed calls to regulate or ban TikTok, citing concerns that Beijing might be influencing the content it promotes. TikTok did not confirm its involvement in these meetings but has refuted claims of favoring pro-Palestinian content and affirmed its commitment to combat antisemitism on the platform.
TikTok stated that, since the conflict’s onset, it hired more moderators fluent in Arabic and Hebrew and collaborated with Jewish and Muslim groups to identify instances of antisemitism and Islamophobia. The company reported removing millions of videos violating content rules from October 7 to November 17, addressing issues like graphic content, harassment, bullying, hate speech, and hateful behavior.
The platform introduced new messages for users, warning about potentially inaccurate content related to events like the Gaza conflict and urging users to seek information from authoritative sources. TikTok, in response to concerns about specific hashtags like #FromTheRiverToTheSea, acknowledged the power of words and the potential for varied interpretations.
In a call with Jewish business leaders, including prominent figures like Tinder’s founder and Facebook’s former chief revenue officer, Mr. Chew joined discussions on concerns about content on the platform. While some participants appreciated Mr. Chew’s personal involvement, others remain frustrated, taking their concerns to lawmakers calling for TikTok’s ban.
Legislators, including Representative Mike Gallagher and Representative Josh Gottheimer, plan to introduce legislation requiring social media companies to release detailed reports on handling policy-violating content. The lawmakers have also urged the Justice Department to classify TikTok as a “foreign agent,” accusing Beijing of influencing the platform’s content.
Despite the challenges, some participants are optimistic about potential changes, viewing this as an opportunity for TikTok to lead in addressing these issues and inspiring improvements across other social media platforms. Shou Chew’s understanding of the concerns has been acknowledged, but TikTok remains under scrutiny as lawmakers seek transparency on its handling of content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
