The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has released a new report that highlights the growth of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate speech on Twitter since the escalation of the war on Gaza. The study focuses on 10 prominent accounts that spread hate speech, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. These accounts gained a significant increase in followers after the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th. In total, they gained 4 million new followers collectively, a four-fold increase compared to the previous four months.
Among these accounts is Jackson Hinkle, an American conservative influencer who has taken a pro-Palestine stance on Twitter but consistently spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and disinformation about the war. Hinkle gained over 2 million followers after October 7th, with a growth rate of 8.3 times higher than his previous follower growth. The report also notes that Hinkle has received payments through Twitter via ad revenue sharing and subscriptions.
The other nine accounts examined in the study are or have been members of Twitter Premium, the platform’s paid subscription tier that gives users prioritized ranking in the algorithm. The study also reveals that Twitter has placed advertisements from prominent companies next to posts from these hate speech accounts, including major companies like Oreo, the NBA, Starlink, and Twitter itself.
The report emphasizes that critical reposts of hate speech can actually help amplify it. The study analyzed two high-reach hate posts and found that criticizing them on Twitter increased their reach by 28% and 16%. This highlights the need for users to think twice before engaging with hateful posts.
The CCDH founder and CEO, Imran Ahmed, attributes the rise of hate speech on Twitter to deliberate policies enacted by Elon Musk since his takeover in 2022. The study characterizes the changed landscape of Twitter under Musk’s leadership, noting the exponential growth of hate speech targeting marginalized communities and the platform’s failure to remove such content. Previous reports have shown that reports of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic posts resulted in little action from Twitter, with only a small percentage of reported posts being removed.
The CCDH emphasizes that “hate actors” are able to exploit Twitter’s conditions, such as minimal content moderation and the ability to pay for Twitter Premium to boost reach. This raises concerns about the platform’s lack of transparency and accountability. The report calls for lawmakers to enforce greater transparency and accountability from social media platforms and to hold them responsible for harming the civil rights and safety of minority communities.
In conclusion, the study highlights the alarming growth of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate speech on Twitter, particularly since the war on Gaza. It sheds light on specific accounts that have gained significant followers and the platform’s failure to effectively moderate hate speech. The report underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability from social media platforms to protect the rights and safety of marginalized communities.
