“What we are witnessing is a continuation of the same tactics used by Holocaust-deniers being used to deny the atrocities of October 7”.
As Israel observes Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), CyberWell—a technology-based nonprofit focused on monitoring and combating online antisemitism—is calling for social media platforms to significantly strengthen their policies against posts denying and distorting the October 7 deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust at the same strict scale they moderate Holocaust denial.
CyberWell’s research shows that while posts denying the Holocaust continue to surge by 3 percent annually, it is also the most consistently moderated form of antisemitism online. This is largely due to the clear and explicit rules many platforms have in place prohibiting Holocaust denial.
“Denialism is a historic tool used to erase Jewish suffering and spread antisemitism,” says CyberWell Founder and Executive Director Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “What we are witnessing is a continuation of the same tactics used by Holocaust-deniers being used to deny the atrocities of October 7. Platforms must act decisively and include these events in their policies to prevent the normalization of antisemitism.
“Well-defined and judiciously enforced policies – like those already employed by platforms in response to Holocaust-denial – are essential to protecting users from antisemitic hate and misinformation,” she adds.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and its allies launched a brutal assault on Israel using mass murder, rape, torture and kidnapping as battlefield tactics targeting civilians.
The deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust claimed the lives of over 1,200 people and saw more than 250 others taken hostage. Initially, Hamas and its allies used social media to glorify their actions, including live-streaming executions of civilians, entire families, and kidnappings.
CyberWell data found that as early as October 8, and – even before the full extent of the atrocities became clear – coordinated online campaigns were already underway to deny or distort the truth. This mirrored longstanding tactics used by Holocaust deniers; but succeeded in entering mainstream dialogue due to significant gaps in platform policies surrounding antisemitism and violent events denial.
CyberWell has found that platforms with strong, clearly stated policies have higher rates of successful content moderation. For example, Holocaust denial, which is prohibited on all platforms, is more frequently removed than other forms of antisemitism. TikTok, which was the first platform to recognize October 7 denial as prohibited content, has greater October 7th denial removal rates than other platforms. These October 7th denial policies include rejecting content that refutes crimes such as rape and mass murder during the attack.
Enforcement also improves when moderation policies are applied consistently across languages. CyberWell has repeatedly exposed language-driven moderation disparities, including how Holocaust denial content in
English is moderated more rapidly and robustly than content of the same theme in Arabic. After sustained efforts from CyberWell, its 2024 data illustrates significant increases in removal rates across both languages, proving that uniform enforcement works.
CyberWell’s AI-technologies monitor social media in English and Arabic for posts that promulgate antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promote violence against Jews.