Musk’s X leads in antisemitic content related to US elections, CyberWell reports
Musk’s X leads in antisemitic content related to US elections, CyberWell reports
According to CyberWell, which monitors antisemitic discourse online, social media platforms removed only 20% of antisemitic content in the months leading up to the U.S. elections. X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, stood out with the highest number of antisemitic posts among major platforms
Social media networks removed only about a fifth of flagged antisemitic content related to the U.S. elections in the months leading up to them, according to a recent report by CyberWell, an organization which monitors antisemitic discourse online. X (formerly Twitter), led by Elon Musk, an active supporter of President Elect Donald Trump, stood out with the largest number of antisemitic posts among the major platforms.
"Historically, election periods amplify extremist voices," said CyberWell CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. "Political change is an opportunity for extremists to fuel and air their conspiratorial rhetoric. Unfortunately, during the current election campaign, social media platforms failed to recognize the full extent of the problem until it was too late, leaving harmful content and false narratives unchecked. Our findings indicate that election discourse on social media reinforced the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories about Jews, with antisemitism becoming a central feature in discourse across the political spectrum".
CyberWell's report was based on an independent collection of posts from April to November 2024 on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube using content monitoring technology developed by the organization. The platforms limit the access of organizations like CyberWell to their data, and, as a result, the various tools they use reflect only a partial picture of the situation. However, this is the best information available in light of these limitations.
CyberWell identified 131 antisemitic posts related to the elections across the aforementioned platforms. Most were in English (93.12%) and received over 3 million views and 200,000 interactions. Examples include conspiracy theories linking Jewish individuals to political control, AI-generated images, and inflammatory visuals.
These posts included an image on X depicting a Hasidic Jew in a blue coat with a Star of David, labeled "Democrat," fighting another Hasidic Jew in a red coat labeled "Republican," also with a Star of David, both standing in a pool of blood. The caption read: "The most important election in history.”
A Facebook post showed a map of U.S. states, each marked with a Star of David, alongside three boxes. The lower two boxes, labeled "Trump" and "Harris," each displayed a score of 0, while the top box, labeled "Zionists," displayed 666. The image was captioned, "My official prediction for the 2024 elections," with the post adding, "The Zionist elections in the U.S." An Instagram post featured an AI-generated image of Trump sitting in the Oval Office surrounded by various Jewish figures, captioned: "The Khazar Mafia. They run everything."
A particularly common type of post involved antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as claims that one candidate is controlled by a Jewish relative (e.g., Kamala Harris by her husband, Doug Emhoff, or Trump by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner). Another theory accused Jews of orchestrating the attempted assassination of Trump on July 13.
Most antisemitic posts (62.6%) were found on X, followed by Facebook (28.24%), TikTok (4.58%), and Instagram (3.82%). CyberWell identified only one antisemitic video on YouTube (0.76%). These figures reflect the limitations of platform-imposed data collection restrictions.
CyberWell reported the flagged posts to all platforms, highlighting their violation of community guidelines. However, the response was inadequate, with platforms removing only 20.59% of the posts, falling below the 32.1% removal rate reported in CyberWell’s 2023 annual report. TikTok removed 16.67%, X removed 21.95%, Facebook 24.32%, Instagram 40%, and YouTube failed to remove the single identified video.
X was heavily criticized in the report for its high volume of antisemitic content and low removal rates, making it a preferred hub for antisemites. The report noted, "The low removal rate may stem from X's content teams considering antisemitic content related to politics as not violating community guidelines or from a lack of enforcement of existing policies. However, the current climate, where a significant amount of blatantly antisemitic content remains unchecked, is unacceptable and demands a review of and reinforcement of policies."
Concerns about X are further heightened by Elon Musk's close ties to Trump. If Musk’s influence drives the permissive approach toward antisemitism on X, this could raise serious concerns about the impact of such policies on the president-elect’s administration.
