The first-ever open database of antisemitic social media posts has now surpassed 10,000 vetted posts, which are already being used to help social media platforms identify policy and enforcement gaps to improve the removal of prohibited content at scale. The portal, developed by CyberWell, an innovative tech nonprofit focused on monitoring and combatting the spread of Holocaust denial and antisemitism online, took two years to compile and will serve as the foundation for the organization’s upcoming project to train an industry-grade advanced AI algorithm to recognize and reject Jew-hatred in digital spaces.
CyberWell uses AI technology to monitor for posts in English and Arabic that are consistent with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Each post is then individually vetted by the nonprofit’s analysts and submitted to social media platform moderators alongside the relevant community guidelines and hate speech policies the individual post violates (sometimes referred to as “Trust and Safety”).
Simultaneously, the vetted post is published to CyberWell’s open database of antisemitic social media posts, available at app.cyberwell.org. This platform is meant to drive user-led reporting, and anyone with a social media account can participate in reporting prohibited Jew-hatred directly to platforms.
When posts meet antisemitic rhetoric that fall outside of established policies, CyberWell releases contextualized guidance to social media platforms so that they can better moderate the content on their platforms.
“Our favorite social media apps and websites are among the most crucial frontiers in the war against antisemitism,” said CyberWell Founder and Executive Director Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “October 7, the Amsterdam pogrom and other attacks against Jewish communities around the world have highlighted the current real national security threat presented by social media platform manipulation to amplify and perpetuate radicalism, vitriol and violence in the hands of terrorists and their sympathizers. We must do everything possible to defend ourselves against the spread of this hate. Through our social media expertise and understanding, we can leverage knowledge and technology in support of safer spaces online, mitigating the effects that these hate-filled campaigns and narratives have in our offline lives.”
She added, “As tech companies routinely adjust their standards, alter policies and introduce product changes, it is crucial to have a professional organization and trusted resource measuring the efficacy of their updates and providing real-time recommendations rooted in data and the rules and best practices of the platforms themselves.”
CyberWell is an independent, international, tech-rooted nonprofit combatting the spread of antisemitism online. Its AI-technologies monitor social media in English and Arabic for posts that promulgate antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promote violence against Jews. Its analysts review and report this content to platform moderators while indexing all verified posts in the first-ever open database of antisemitic social media posts – democratically cataloging it for transparency. Through partnerships, education, and real-time alerts, CyberWell is holding social media platforms and their moderators accountable, promoting proactive steps against online Jew-hate. For more information, visit: https://cyberwell.org/.