'Don't ban us for being Jewish': Jewish TikTok creators say they feel silenced by the platform

Most of those creators said when they appeal their bans or video removals, the app says the punishment was made in error.The types of videos that creators said the app flagged for violating its community guidelines include TikToks debunking antisemitic comments, a video discussing a news story about antisemitic violence, a video of a bat mitzvah held for a cat and a repost of a video made by TikTok in honor of the United Kingdom’s Holocaust Memorial Day.“More recently, people have been much more outspoken and comfortable expressing their antisemitism and have basically entirely dismantled my ability of reaching anyone on the internet,” Massey said.Jewish creators said they’re frustrated with the moderation process that has them feeling targeted, though they aren’t exactly sure how or why it’s happening. An analysis of Twitter between May 7 and 14 showed more than 17,000 tweets that used variations of the phrase "Hitler was right," the group's Center on Extremism said.if you’re one of these people I don’t feel safe around you and we have every right not to #notsee #jewish #politics #LiftYourDream #altrightpipelineSeveral Jewish TikTok creators said they, too, have received some version of the "Hitler was right," comment on their page.A TikTok transparency report published by the app in February acknowledged that “hate speech remains a challenge to proactively detect and we continue to make investments to improve.” The report said TikTok removed nearly 73 percent of “hateful behavior videos before they were reported to us” and nearly 84 percent were removed within 24 hours of being posted.Cohen, who was featured in a TikTok U.K. video for Holocaust Memorial Day, said other Jewish creators feel comfortable coming to him when they experience a ban or a video removal on the app.