Supporters of Israel are guiding public opinion through citizen-led propaganda using ``an app that detects pro-Palestinian SNS posts and reports violations.''
In connection with the military conflict between Israel and Hamas that broke out in October 2023, the world is deeply divided over whether to support Israel or Palestine. Supporters of Israel are using 'apps that detect pro-Palestinian social media posts and report violations to platforms' to sway public opinion on the internet, the major daily newspaper The Washington Post reported. Ta.
Pro-Israel apps make online activism easier - The Washington Post
As the fighting in the Palestinian Gaza Strip intensifies, both the Israeli and Hamas camps are fighting to assert their own legitimacy and win over public opinion. The Washington Post reports that Israel supporters are using 'tools that allow them to mass flag pro-Palestinian content for 'violating the platform's rules,'' and in some cases AI-generated reports in response to pro-Palestinian posts. We reported that by sending messages, the replies were filled with pro-Israel messages.
Nys, a TikTok creator who works under the account name @palestinianpr1ncess , testified that 15 to 20 pro-Palestinian posts have already been deleted. Mr. Nys's post is flooded with pro-Israel comments that appear to be AI-generated, and the post has also been flagged as ``bullying'' and ``hate speech.'' Nys told the Washington Post, ``I'm not doing hate speech. I'm just commenting on everything that's happening in Palestine.''
Content creator and podcaster Laura Chung also attributes the deletion of her TikTok account in December to a mass reporting campaign by Israel supporters. ``I created pro-Palestinian content for educational purposes and it was a huge trend. I think these apps are the reason why my TikTok account was deleted.''
Another app called Words of Iron works in much the same way, claiming to 'surfacing anti-Israel posts collected by social media experts and elevating Israeli voices in one click.' . Furthermore, Words of Iron increases engagement by showing users how many actions they have taken on a post using a bar, and turning user actions into a game.
These tools classify a wide range of things as 'anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian,' including posts discussing ' Palestinian teenager who claims she was sexually assaulted while in Israeli custody ' and posts discussing 'Jesus Christ.' is a Palestinian' was curated by Words of Iron. These tools also target posts that are not specifically anti-Israel but are anti-Semitic.
Rosie Pirani, an influencer and lawyer, said that after her posts were flagged, they were no longer recommended to people other than her followers and no longer appeared in the Discover or Reels tabs. “Websites like Words of Iron are aimed at chilling free speech by scaring other content creators from posting about Palestine.”
Amir Al Katatba , a Muslim journalist, said that his Instagram account, run by his Muslim media outlet, was flooded with bot-like messages within 10 minutes of posting. “We deal with account deletion warnings on a daily basis,” Al Katatba said, testifying that he is very careful not to violate community guidelines.
Nora Benavidez , a senior adviser at Free Press , a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and civil rights, said these apps may have influenced perceptions of the war online. “These tools fundamentally undermine trust, making it harder for people to understand what's happening on their feeds, know whether content is authentic, and feel honest about their feeds. 'People who see pro-Israel content in their feed may not understand that it is coming from an automated tool.'
Emerson Brooking, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, an international security think tank, says that although the tools and tactics used to influence public opinion on the Internet have been around for a long time, campaigns that involve the general public are a must. He points out that Israel's approach is different from the traditional one. 'These apps are targeting American speech and trying to co-opt American users. This level of organization and the fact that it's happening openly is novel.'
Even if the tools used by Israel supporters are actually the result of an organized effort, each report or post itself is made by an unrelated individual, and therefore falls under the platform's definition of 'organized fraud.' It is highly likely that this does not apply. It's also difficult to determine which comments were generated by the tool, since there's no way to track a user's private activity across apps.
''Citizen-driven propaganda campaigns' are here to stay,' said Joan Donavan , an assistant professor of journalism at Boston University. 'We must move forward with plans to push these tools universally, or we become accomplices in a propaganda campaign,' he said, adding that technology companies should develop ways to protect people from these tools. I insisted.
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