In response to the growing presence of antisemitism on the TikTok platform and the management's failure to address the issue, Barak Herscowitz, a senior TikTok Israel official responsible for partnerships with the government and public sector, has resigned from his position.
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Herscowitz, who previously served as an advisor to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and was in charge of relations with the Government Advertising Bureau at TikTok, expressed his decision on X (former Twitter): "I have stepped down from TikTok. In a time when our identity as Jews and Israelis is being threatened, it is crucial to focus on our priorities. Am Israel Chai."
When asked if he could have remained in the company to try to exert influence from within, Herscowitz responded, "I did everything I could while I was there. There are remarkable individuals in TikTok Israel who are giving their all."
According to insiders, Herscowitz was one of the employees who sent a memorandum to the company's senior management last month, expressing concerns about "a biased approach towards violent content and anti-Israel incitement that violates the company's community guidelines."
The memorandum specifically addressed the systematic discrimination against Israeli Arab hostages held by Hamas. It was noted that TikTok refused to allow the families of the kidnapped individuals to share content on the platform, deeming their videos "too political," while permitting pro-Palestinian groups to publish.
The memorandum stated, "Labeling kidnapped infants, women, children, and the elderly who were taken from their homes by Hamas as a 'political issue' is, at the very least, one-sided." It further highlighted the discrepancy in advertising, with American users being inundated with paid advertisements depicting the plight of children in Gaza, often with substantial budgets, while advertisements portraying the humanitarian tragedy of Israeli Arab hostages cannot be displayed to the same audiences.
Employees also revealed that TikTok content managers expressed "support for terrorism or endorsed extremist movements," which significantly contributes to the proliferation of malicious incitement against Israel and Jews, as well as the dissemination of harmful misinformation on the platform, both in the United States and Europe.