Anti-Semitic Tweets Surge After Elon Musk Takeover: Study

Anti-Semitic posts have increased dramatically since Elon Musk took over Twitter, according to new research.

The study, conducted by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a non-partisan think tank, used machine learning tools to identify “likely” anti-Semitic tweets on the platform. Anti-Semitic posts surged from an average of 6,200 per week before Musk took over as CEO in October to an average of 12,700 per week in the months that followed, according to data.

The researchers used the International Holocaust Memorial Alliance definition of anti-Semitism to guide the machine learning tool through the process. Tweets that dehumanize Jews, tweets that make stereotypical comments about Jews, and tweets that call for the killing or harming of Jews are examples of anti-Semitic tweets reported in the study. When the researchers manually reviewed a small subset of tweets, they found that the machine learning algorithm was 76% more accurate than his.

The surge in anti-Semitic posts was fueled by an increase in the creation of anti-Semitic accounts. The researchers noted that they found a 3x increase in “hate account creation” shortly after Musk took control of Twitter.

After Musk took over the company, he revived the account of the person who spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Prominent white supremacist Nick Fuentes restored his Twitter account in January and was quickly banned again after making anti-Semitic comments on the platform.

Musk has hit back at claims that hateful content has increased under his leadership. In December, he posted a graph showing a downward trend in “hate speech impressions.” He also plans to “maximally deboost” hate accounts by limiting the amount of involvement in those accounts.