Research & Analysis

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What Will Finally Be the Tipping Point Against Facebook?

Article

September 27, 2021 The recent blockbuster series of five articles from The Wall Street Journal exposing Facebook’s complicity in spreading toxic content underscores that it is far past time to recognize the harm caused by Facebook. Yet the company and other social media platforms continue to enjoy free rein despite playing outsized and destabilizing roles in determining what content is served up to billions of individuals worldwide. The “Facebook Files” were based on…

September 27, 2021

Most U.S. Teens Experienced Harassment When Gaming Online, ADL Survey Finds

Press Release

60 percent of children ages 13-17, and 83 percent of adults 18-45, were harassed while participating in online multiplayer games New York, NY, September 15, 2021 … Sixty percent of children ages 13-17 have experienced harassment while playing games online, according to a first-of-its-kind survey of online gaming experiences released today by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Center for Technology and Society. Despite the significant percentage of young adults who reported…

September 15, 2021

ADL’s Center for Technology and Society Announces Fourth Class of Belfer Fellows

Press Release

Four new Fellows will focus on research bridging the intersection of tech and civil rights New York, NY, Sept. 1, 2021 – ADL’s (Anti-Defamation League) Center for Technology and Society today announced it has selected three leading academics for its fourth class of Belfer Fellows. The Belfer Fellowship program advances ADL’s work by promoting cyberhate awareness and digital citizenship, as well as implementing these projects for the wider social good. The…

September 01, 2021

ADL Letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Terrorist Groups Exploiting Platform

Letter

August 25, 2021 In a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, ADL raised concern about a gap in Twitter’s enforcement of its stated policies toward accounts linked to U.S.-designated terrorist groups. August 24, 2021 Jack Dorsey Chief Executive Officer Twitter 355 Market Street, Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94103 Dear Mr. Dorsey, I write to you today to raise concern about a gap in Twitter’s enforcement of its stated policies toward accounts linked to U.S…

August 25, 2021

ADL Calls on Twitter and Other Platforms to Remove Taliban and Taliban-Affiliated Accounts

Press Release

New York, NY, August 19, 2021 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today called on Twitter, and other major social media platforms, to take immediate action to remove accounts affiliated with the Taliban given the organization’s long history of terrorist activity, violence and discrimination toward girls and women, assassinating journalists, and persecuting religious and ethnic minorities, in Afghanistan. The Taliban recently seized the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, and have gained…

August 19, 2021

Letter to the New York Post Concerning Recent Jonathan Op-Ed Attacking ADL

Media Watch

The following letter was submitted to the New York Post in response to "Forget using PayPal if your views run afoul of this left-wing group” (July 29) To the Editor: Jonathan S. Tobin’s mischaracterization of ADL and PayPal’s partnership as an attempt to censor conservative voices is disingenuous and without any evidence (“Forget using PayPal if your views run afoul of this left-wing group,” July 29). In truth, our partnership with PayPal will…

August 06, 2021

ADL and Hillel to Work Together to Document Antisemitism on Campus; Social Media Platforms are Failing to Monitor Antisemitism, Reports Say

Article

August 06, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 ADL and Hillel International announced they are working together to play a stronger role in fighting antisemitism on campus. Antisemitic content is proving to be a persistent problem across social media as major platforms fail to protect Jewish targets, according to a new report that gives Facebook and many others low grades. ADL criticized remarks from US Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) as a problematic “dog whistle” when she alleged…

August 06, 2021

ADL Condemns Facebook Decision to Shut Down Independent Study of Targeted Political Ads

Press Release

New York, NY, August 6, 2021 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today condemned Facebook for shutting down the work of two researchers who were studying how misinformation spreads through political ads on Facebook, and demands that the company immediately restore these researchers’ accounts and access to the data they require. Earlier this week, Facebook shut down the work of Laura Edelson and Damon McCoy, two researchers at New York University, who were studying the flow of…

August 06, 2021

Social Media Platforms Fail to Address Antisemitism, According to New ADL Report

Press Release

New report card reviewing nine platforms gives most poor marks; Twitter and YouTube earn a B-minus New York, NY, July 30, 2021 … Antisemitic content continues to be a serious problem across social media and major platforms are failing to adequately protect targets. These platforms are not managing antisemitic content effectively and too often fail to respond when hateful content is flagged, according to a new report from ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). ADL’s Center on…

July 30, 2021

PayPal, ADL Investigate Extremist Funding; Swastika Grafitti at the State Department; Reactions Grow on Ben & Jerry's Israel Decision

Article

July 29, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 PayPal is partnering with ADL to investigate how extremist and hate movements in the U.S. take advantage of financial platforms to fund their criminal activities. A swastika was found carved into an elevator at the State Department, prompting President Biden to speak out. Unilever’s CEO wrote a letter to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in which they made clear the company will continue to do business in Israel despite its subsidiary Ben & Jerry…

July 29, 2021

PayPal Partners with ADL to Fight Extremism and Protect Marginalized Communities

Press Release

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 26, 2021 -- PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), in partnership with ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), today announced a new partnership initiative to fight extremism and hate through the financial industry and across at-risk communities. This is the latest effort by PayPal in combating racism, hate and extremism across its platforms and the industry. PayPal Partners with ADL to Fight Extremism and Protect Marginalized Communities Through…

July 26, 2021

The Unique Challenges of Audio Content Moderation Part Two: Static vs. Livestreaming Audio

Article

June 30, 2021 This blog post is the second in a series of three articles that will explore the unique challenges audio content moderation poses for platforms creating audio-focused digital spaces. The first article in this series focused on the choices around recording audio for the purpose of content moderation in audio only digital social spaces. This article will discuss how platforms can choose to review audio for content moderation. The third article will cover cautionary tales from…

June 30, 2021

Moonshot & ADL Project Finds Anti-Black, Antisemitic, White Supremacist Internet Searches Peaked in Conjunction with Major Offline Events

Press Release

Elevated discriminatory traffic observed around Black Lives Matter protests, 2020 Election, January 6 Insurrection New York, NY, June 16, 2021 — Anti-Black, antisemitic and white supremacist searches spiked online as major offline events such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and the 2020 presidential election unfolded, according to a Moonshot and ADL joint report released today as part of an effort to understand how Americans search for white supremacist narratives and content. …

June 16, 2021

ADL Statement on Facebook Decision To Ban Former President Trump for An Additional Two Years

Press Release

New York, NY, June 4, 2021 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today responded to the decision by Facebook to suspend former President Donald Trump for an additional two years following his comments inciting violence in the wake of the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, issued the following statement: "While banning former President Trump is a step in the right direction, this simply doesn't go far enough. President Trump used…

June 04, 2021

The Unique Challenges of Audio Content Moderation Part One: To Record or Not to Record

Article

May 13, 2021 This blog post is the first in a series of three articles that will explore the unique challenges audio content moderation poses for platforms creating audio-focused digital spaces. This first article focuses on the choices around recording audio, and includes recommendations regarding Clubhouse’s current practices around recording. The second will discuss reviewing audio. The third will be on current approaches and models of audio content moderation that have been publicly…

May 13, 2021

Iran's Khamenei Exploits Twitter for Al Quds Day

Article

May 07, 2021 By David Andrew Weinberg On the last Friday of Ramadan every year, the Government of Iran organizes what it calls Global Quds (i.e. Jerusalem) Day, which it uses as an opportunity to spread horrific propaganda calling for the destruction of the State of Israel, as well as messages of support for terrorist organizations and a deluge of antisemitic hate speech. This year was no exception. On Friday, May 7, the main English-language Twitter account attributed to Iran…

May 07, 2021

Facebook upholds Trump ban; Former head of Neo-Nazi group sentenced for swatting; NYC synagogue vandal arrested on hate crime charges

Article

May 07, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Four months after his ouster from Facebook and Instagram, the suspension of former president Donald Trump was upheld by the Facebook Oversight Board. A former leader in a violent neo-Nazi group was sentenced Tuesday to 41 months in prison for harassing journalists who reported on his activities and others. Police arrested a 29-year-old man on hate crime charges in connection with the vandalization of several Bronx synagogues, which included the…

May 07, 2021

ADL Statement on Facebook Oversight Board's Decision to Uphold Trump's Suspension from Platform

Press Release

New York, NY, May 5, 2021 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt issued the following statement today regarding the Facebook Oversight Board’s decision to uphold Facebook’s suspension of former President Donald Trump from the platform: We did not need four months and an unaccountable, secretive process to tell us what we already knew: Donald Trump should be immediately and permanently banned from Facebook. Six months will not change the fact…

May 05, 2021

Pandemic gives rise to antisemitic ‘Zoombombing’; Federal hate crime charges filed in Ahmaud Arbery death; NY synagogues vandalized

Article

April 30, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 ADL counted 196 cases of antisemitic “Zoombombing” attacks in the U.S. last year, including 114 against Jewish institutions, according to its annual report released this week. Three Georgia men were indicted on federal hate crime charges in connection with the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot to death while jogging through a South Georgia neighborhood last year. Authorities in New York City are looking for the…

April 30, 2021

ADL Applauds Introduction of Social Media Transparency Bill

Press Release

Calif. legislation would require social media companies to publicly disclose corporate policies and key data and metrics on enforcement New York, NY, March 30, 2021...ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) welcomed the introduction of legislation from California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel that would require social media platforms to publicly disclose their content moderation policies regarding online hate/racism, disinformation, extremism, harassment and foreign interference, as well as key…

March 30, 2021