By Chris Menahan – Information Liberation
Adam Presser, the new CEO of TikTok under Larry Ellison’s takeover, told the World Jewish Congress last year that TikTok censored criticism of “Zionists” by labeling it “hate speech.”
Presser was Head of Operations and Trust & Safety at TikTok at the time.
As I noted on X, Presser told the WJC,
• They made “Zionist” a “proxy for a protected attribute” to designate it “hate speech” if used in a negative light (the WJC lobbied for this change).
• TikTok *tripled* the number of accounts they were banning for “hateful activity” “over the course of 2024” (i.e., post-Oct 7th).
• TikTok is “especially” focused on fighting “anti-Semitism”—and it’s personal to Presser as “a member of the American Jewish community.”
• While banning critics of Israel for “hate,” they also partnered with Israeli creators (and some non-Israeli creators) to produce positive hasbara content.
• They have over two dozen Jewish organizations “constantly” feeding them “intelligence” on “violative trends”—which includes the WJC—and such groups help inform them on “what is hate speech.”
• They “spend a lot of time” with Jewish/Israeli creators to find out “what other tools they might look for” in fighting anti-Semitism.
ZOOM OUT: The US government banned TikTok to suppress criticism of Israel, forced its sale to a consortium of “investors” led by Zionist billionaire/major IDF donor Larry Ellison, and now this is their new CEO.