TikTok issued a response on Thursday to allegations that it had failed to protect Jewish users and promoted pro-Palestinian content in the United States. The company stated on its website, “Hateful ideologies, like antisemitism, are not and have never been allowed on our platform.” TikTok also mentioned that they had removed millions of videos related to hate speech, harassment, and bullying since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Social networks, including TikTok, have faced criticism for spreading misinformation and hate speech during the Israel-Hamas war. Given that TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, it has come under even greater scrutiny. There have been concerns about antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on the Chinese internet and state media, despite Beijing’s claim of neutrality in the dispute.

A former vice president at Tinder, Jeff Morris Jr., asserted that pro-Palestinian hashtags on TikTok had received three billion views, while pro-Israel hashtags only gathered a couple hundred million views. This claim was part of a Twitter thread that went viral and raised questions about TikTok’s role in shaping perceptions of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The concerns about TikTok have also prompted reactions from Republican lawmakers, with Senator Marco Rubio accusing the platform of spreading propaganda and downplaying Hamas terrorism.

TikTok responded to the allegations, criticizing an “unsound analysis of TikTok hashtag data” and provided their own data showing that the hashtag #standwithisrael had gained more views in the United States compared to #standwithpalestine since Oct. 7.

In addition to public outcry, a group of Jewish TikTok creators and celebrities, including Amy Schumer, Michael Rapaport, and Debra Messing, expressed concerns in an open letter to TikTok. They highlighted the platform’s failure to protect its Jewish community and monitor public discourse to prevent the spread of antisemitism.

TikTok acknowledged the need for improvement in moderation and announced plans to invest in training and consulting with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League. The platform also stated that it would provide data to academic researchers and civil society groups to address concerns about hate speech and extremism.