Launch of Antisemitism Cyber Monitoring System
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has revealed a new and unique platform for realtime information and analysis of online Antisemitism.
Naftali Bennett explains
The Minister of Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett revealed a unique tool developed by the Ministry over the past year: the Antisemitism Cyber Monitoring System (ACMS), capable of providing real time data and analysis of online Antisemitism.
Minister Bennett said: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant. From today every Antisemite online should know he is exposed, the hatred he spreads is being watched and he will be held responsible. It’s time to set a mirror in front of our enemies and expose the ugly face of the modern antisemite, he who Tweets Swastikas instead of branding them in the street. From now we will know who the leading antisemites are and they will be dealt with. ”
Bennett added: “Antisemitism hasn’t vanished, it has shifted shape and moved from the street to the web. Especially during the week we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must turn the spotlight to the places from which Antisemitism stems and spreads, as part of the mutual responsibility Jews have for one another.”
The following data points were gathered during a month of the ACMS operating in a pilot mode:
- 409,000 Antisemitic posts and tweets, written by 30,000 people, were monitored and analyzed.
- Every day some 200,000 suspected posts and tweets are scanned by the system.
- Some 10,000 Antisemitic posts and tweets are discovered on a daily basis.
- The three cities spreading the most Antisemitism as of now are: Santiago (Chile), Denipro (The Ukraine) and Bucharest (Romania).
- In the West, Paris and London are the most Antisemitic cities.
- On December 6, following President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, online Antisemitism grew nine-fold compared to previous days.
The ACMS was developed with the Ministry of Defence, and provides real-time interactive maps showing Antisemitic activity. It can dissect and display the
information based on multiple factors, including geography, language, date and more.
Based on self-learning artificial intelligence, the program recognises key words and patterns, while analyzing the context text in which they were written. The ACMS uses the working definition adopted by IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), and monitors English, French, German and Arabic posts.
In addition the software, the Ministry established a command center, manned by experts who receive the data from the system and present it to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. When needed, the Ministry works with the authorities in other countries to take concrete steps against those spreading hate.
The platform will also provide data for Israeli officials holding diplomatic meetings, as it can present data relevant to any meeting with foreign dignitaries. It will also be a tool for journalists and researchers looking for hard data on the topic.
