CHICAGO (CBS) — As anti-Semitism rises, Cook County leaders are coming together to show a united front against hate.
A new report shows that big social media companies like TikTok and Twitter have failed to curb hate online.
The Cook County United Against Hate organization is now trying to find solutions after a new report named social media companies with billions of users together.
Many of these users are young, impressionable teenagers who experts say are being targeted by hate groups.
“The people who do the online hate, the white supremacist stuff, they also paint the swastikas on synagogues. They are the ones who use violence against African Americans, Asian Americans and LGBTQ people,” said Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center – the leading international Jewish human rights group – said social media has become a key factor.
“The problem is that you’ve embedded a subculture of hate and it’s growing on social media that denigrates black people, Jews, you name the group,” he said.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s 2023 Digital Terrorism and Hate Report, due to be released Monday, reveals a nationwide spate of propaganda-driven recruitment and hate crimes.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center issues a testimonial that ranks major media companies on how they monetize hateful content; with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter all on the bottom end.
Telegram got the worst grade. The report revealed that the app contains thousands of posts calling for attacks on Jews and other marginalized groups.
Britton said Cook County United Against Hate is increasing awareness in schools and law enforcement agencies and working closely with Chicago Police Department on training.
“Through this type of outreach, we’re training our law enforcement agencies and our communities to report this and also to identify the places where we can prosecute,” Britton said.
While it’s a step in the right direction, Cooper said there’s still a long way to go.
“It finally gives us a sense of hope,” he said. “When it comes to hate and the delivery systems of social media, our enemies, they don’t care what our differences are.”
District leaders say they’re also looking closely at the budget to make sure they can coordinate the response they think this report calls for.
CBS 2 has reached out to the media companies listed in the report for comment. Amazon said they have no response, while a TikTok spokesman said they will review the report and get back to us.
Asal Rezaei
