Elon Musk’s X social media platform has been less cooperative than rivals Meta and TikTok when it comes to removing posts that the Israeli government deems as “incitement to terrorism,” according to a report.
The cyber division of Israel’s state prosecutor’s office has submitted tens of thousands of links to social media posts that officials say glorify terrorism, according to a report in the Hebrew-language daily TheMarker.
Of the more than 39,000 pieces of content that were flagged by Israeli officials, around 26,000 have been deemed as those worthy of being removed, according to TheMarker.
The state prosecutor’s office, which falls under the auspices of the Justice Ministry, said that more than 92% of the content that was flagged as problematic to platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Alphabet-owned YouTube were removed, according to the report.
Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta.
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and Telegram are two apps that have not been as cooperative in removing anti-Israel content, according to the report.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has not been responsive in removing posts that Israel deems to be “incitement to terrorism,” according to a report. REUTERSThe Justice Ministry declined to give specific numbers indicating how many posts X and Telgram declined to remove.
The Post has sought comment from Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube and Telegram.
Last month, the Israeli state prosecutor’s office said it had flagged 8,000 posts on Meta and TikTok that it wanted removed due to alleged violations of company policies, according to Forbes.
Of those, 94% of the content across those sites were taken down.
Last month, Musk visited Israel to show solidarity with Israelis living in towns that were overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 — resulting in the killings of some 1,200 people.
The Israeli Justice Ministry has flagged tens of thousands of links to social media posts that are alleged to glorify Palestinian terrorist groups. AFP via Getty ImagesMusk had come under fire for appearing to endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory linking Jews to mass migration. He has denied that he is antisemitic.
The Anti-Defamation League was among scores of organizations that condemned Musk for the post, but the group later praised him for pledging to crack down on pro-Palestinian sympathizers who use the term “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — a statement that some say is a call to genocide.
Several companies also pulled their ads from his platform after Media Matters issued a report which found that their content was showing up alongside neo-Nazi posts.
One of those companies is Disney — which prompted Musk to lash out at its CEO, Bob Iger, during a recent tech conference.
TikTok and Meta have been more cooperative in removing posts deemed to be problematic by Israel, according to a report. REUTERS
Meta is the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Israel has praised the company’s cooperation in removing posts deemed to be sympathetic to terrorism, according to a report. REUTERSX has filed suit against Media Matters.
Israeli officials were angered by Musk after he announced in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 assault that his rocket-building company, SpaceX, would provide Starlink satellite-based internet service to the Gaza Strip.
Musk initially said the service would be of use to Gaza-based aid groups, but he backed down when Israeli officials warned that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists would exploit the technology for military ends.
“When it comes to this platform — X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world – it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said last month.
