European Commission President Urges Tech Giants to Combat Anti-Semitism, Hate Speech

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2021) Businesses, and especially tech giants, must take greater responsibility in fighting the spread of hate speech, anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, an analysis released by a group of international NGOs showed that anti-Semitism is easily found across such popular social media as Facebook, Instagram, Parler, Reddit, Telegram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and 4chan.

"Every business, especially powerful tech giants, has to combat hatred and to stand for historical truth," von der Leyen said, opening the Malmoe International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

The Commission president said that the COVID-19 pandemic showed how quickly conspiracy theories and hate speech could spread, adding that social media platforms have to do more to eradicate them.

The European Union for its part will try to combat anti-Semitism through a number of steps, the Commission chief said. This includes increasing the funding for protection of Jewish places of worship across the bloc and creating a network of young European ambassadors for Holocaust remembrance, as well as encouraging member states to emphasize the role of Jewish culture.

Anti-Semitism in Europe is on the rise, von der Leyen said, citing a poll in which 40% of Jewish respondents confessed to hiding symbols that could identify them in fear of being physically attacked.