TikTok, Twitter fare only slightly better than fringe platforms favored by far right in Wiesenthal Center study of social media

A report from the Simon Wiesenthal Center scoring social media platforms based on the proliferation of hate speech found that mainstream sites like TikTok and Twitter fared only slightly better than much smaller platforms like Telegram favored by far-right groups.

“If you have TikTok at home, you should get rid of it,” said the Wiesenthal Center’s director of global social action, Rabbi Abraham Cooper. “We list TikTok number one not because it has the most problematic materials but because it is so wildly popular with young people. And even if they are not looking for (hate), it is going to come at them.”

The Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based Jewish human rights organization, issued the report this year in conjunction with Cook County United Against Hate, which was formed last year to bring awareness of racism, antisemitism, bigotry and other forms of hate.

The organizations looked at 24 media platforms, examining content as well as how the media companies responded to posts of concern. Fringe sites 8kun, AnonUp and Telegram received “F” ratings, while TikTok got a “D” and Twitter a “D-minus.”

The report noted that Telegram is the “platform of choice for the utmost dangerous elements of the far right movement,” but said that TikTok’s widespread exposure makes it of similar concern.

But the report also found an increase in hate speech on Twitter since Elon Musk purchased the company late last year.

“The platform has pivoted from having some of the strongest hate speech policies and moderation enforcement, back to being a preferred space for the mainstreaming of hate,” the report found.

The highest scores went to Google/YouTube (B-minus), Reddit (B) and Roblox (B-plus).

The findings echo a widely reported increase in hate speech and crimes in recent years. Chicago police data showed that last year hate crimes nearly doubled compared with the year before. The FBI recently announced reported hate crime incidents increased 11.6% in 2021, the most recent year for which data was provided.

The White House recently issued a demand calling for the removal of TikTok from federal devices. The executive branch is also taking steps to change TikTok’s presence in the U.S. by threatening to ban the app if the Chinese ownership does not sell its U.S. stake in the company, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Those moves are more about long-standing concerns over a foreign country controlling user data than the prevalence of hate speech on the app.

The relationship between the Wiesenthal Center and Cook County United Against Hate was formed in part because of Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton’s personal experience with antisemitism.

“About a year ago I received a packet of antisemitic literature on my driveway, and I am Catholic,” Britton said at a downtown news conference Friday. “But I also thought to myself what the reaction was to my Jewish brothers and sister, neighbors and friends.”

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle referred to her past as a history teacher when discussing what she thinks are some of the reasons hate is on the rise.

“This is a country that doesn’t put great value on learning our history,” Preckwinkle said.

Several of the presenters gave testimony about their personal experiences with acts of hate, remarking how they have seemingly become more common in recent years.

The Wiesenthal Center presented examples of its findings with screenshots of how the apps allow hate to spread. These messages included glorification of the Holocaust, support for school shooters and discussion of causing more harm to minority communities.

Going forward, Britton and Cook County United Against Hate said they will continue to monitor hate on online platforms.

“What I think we were able to do is combine the educational piece — which is just remind people that this stuff exists and reject — but even more importantly, I think, prosecute those crimes that are related to a hate motivation,” noting the county board he sits on supervises both the state’s attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office. “That’s important stuff we can do.”

hsanders@chicagotribune.com