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A backlash against the social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok is growing due to the spread of anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian posts and content.
Major advertisers including Apple, IBM, Disneyland, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Global, NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast, and Lionsgate Entertainment have halted spending on X, owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 18th (local time).
In addition, the EU Commission has temporarily halted paid advertising on X, citing misinformation related to the war between Israel and Hamas, according to Politico, a U.S. political media outlet, the day before.
◇ Apple, IBM, Disney, EU, etc. stop spending on X ads… Musk, controversy over anti-Semitism
‘Jews, Incite White Hatred’ Post, Musk Comments “Truth”
Musk’s agreement with a post by an X user suggesting that Jews deliberately incite hatred against whites, and his long-standing conflict with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a powerful Jewish rights group, were the catalysts for the ad suspension on X.
On the 15th, Musk responded to a reply from another X user to a post on X asking if there was anything he wanted to say to the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet posting ‘Hitler was right’ by saying, “You spoke the actual truth.”
In response, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates criticized, “It is unacceptable to repeat a terrible lie hidden behind the most deadly act of anti-Semitism in American history, just a month after the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust (Nazi’s mass murder of Jews) (October 7th massacre of Israelis by Palestinian armed group Hamas).”
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◇ Musk “Message from Jewish Group, Strong Discomfort with All Groups that Incite Anti-White and Anti-Asian, Enough”
Musk also wrote on X the same day, “Despite the fact that the majority of the West supports Jews and Israel, the ADL is unfairly attacking the majority of the West,” and “This is because they cannot criticize minority groups that pose a major threat according to their beliefs. This is not right and should be stopped.”
When one user refuted that it is not fair to generalize the entire Jewish community, Musk responded, “I have a strong discomfort with the message of the ADL and virtually all other groups that incite anti-white or anti-Asian racism, all kinds of racial discrimination,” and “I’m sick of it. Stop it now.”
Musk has also claimed that X’s ad revenue in the U.S. has decreased by 60% due to the pressure from the ADL, and posted a message comparing George Soros, a Holocaust survivor and prominent investor, to the villain Magneto from the movie ‘X-Men’.
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◇ Media Watchdog “Corporate Ads Placed Next to Anti-Semitic Content”… Musk “Will Sue”
In this situation, the controversy has grown as a report released by the progressive media watchdog Media Matters on the 17th confirmed that corporate ads, including IBM, Apple, and Oracle, were placed next to anti-Semitic content on the X platform.
In response, Musk announced legal action on his X account on the 18th, saying, “When the courts open on Monday, I will file a bombshell lawsuit against ‘Media Matters’ and everyone who conspired in this fraudulent attack.” However, a decline in sales due to ad suspensions due to anti-Semitism controversy seems inevitable for the time being.
◇ WSJ “TikTok, Perception of Preference for Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Semitic Content Spreading in U.S., Major Crisis”
TikTok, the most popular social media worldwide among young people, seems to be facing its biggest crisis since its launch due to the perception in U.S. politics that it prefers pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic content, according to the WSJ the day before.
Members of the U.S. Congress have repeatedly called for a ban on the use of TikTok in the U.S., citing the posting of anti-Israel posts and decades-old letters from Osama bin Laden on TikTok after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, according to WSJ.
Not only Democratic and Republican members but also some officials in the Biden administration claim that the Chinese government can order TikTok to spy on its 150 million American users or spread propaganda.
The ban on TikTok use has been pursued since the Trump administration through executive orders, and it is actually being implemented in some states, but the opposition is strong as it is very popular among young people, and the court has put the brakes on it.
However, if anti-Israel content continues to spread on TikTok, the movement to ban its use could become a reality as both the Democratic and Republican parties support Israel on a bipartisan basis, excluding some left-wing Democrats.
If TikTok use is banned in the U.S., which is a major source of advertising revenue and where new revenue from e-commerce is expected, this movement could spread worldwide and face a crisis of existence, but the possibility seems small in the current situation.
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