Social media platforms amplified misinformation about Israel-Hamas war: US Senator
What's the story
US Senator Michael Bennet is seeking answers from Meta, X, TikTok, and Google about their efforts to tackle the spread of false and misleading content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict on their platforms.
Bennet is worried about the deceptive content that's being amplified by the platforms' algorithms, leading to a dangerous cycle of outrage, engagement, and redistribution.
He has asked the companies a series of questions about their content moderation practices and expects responses by October 31.
Details
Companies' efforts in content moderation amid the conflict
Social media companies have outlined some steps they have taken to address the issue amid the conflict.
TikTok has brought on more Arabic and Hebrew-speaking content moderators, while Meta has removed or marked as disturbing over 7,95,000 pieces of content in Hebrew or Arabic since the Hamas attack on Israel.
X and Google-owned YouTube have also taken down harmful content. However, Bennet thinks these actions aren't enough and that current policies and protocols fall short.
What Next?
Staff reductions in trust and safety teams called out
Bennet has called out the four companies for cutting staff from their trust and safety teams in the past year, which were responsible for monitoring misleading content.
Twitter laid off 15% of its trust and safety staff after Elon Musk acquired the company, Meta cut 100 similar positions in January, and Google reduced a team countering online hate speech by a third.
Bennet argues that these decisions contribute to a cascade of violence, paranoia, and distrust around the world.
Insights
False content's impact
Bennet stressed that the spread of false content on these platforms creates an information ecosystem where basic facts are increasingly disputed and untrustworthy sources are repeatedly deemed authoritative.
Senator Bennet's remarks come after European Union industry chief Thierry Breton demanded that tech companies take stricter measures against disinformation during the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict.