Australian Royal Commission probes social media's role in antisemitism

The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion held hearings in Sydney, hearing from major platforms. Meta’s director of content policy Benjamin Good testified via video from the United States, describing the company’s new policy introduced in January 2025 that favours reactive removal to avoid over‑enforcement. Kick’s general counsel Tiat Oon Ooi explained the livestreaming site’s low removal rate, attributing it to false reports but asserting robust processes.

TikTok’s global head of policy, Zachary Hecht, and YouTube’s senior government‑affairs manager, Rachel Lord, also appeared. Cyberwell, a nonprofit monitoring online antisemitism, reported that TikTok removes 88.8% of flagged content, compared with an average 52.4% across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Commissioners are examining how these platforms’ moderation practices affect hate online.