A letter sent to Elon Musk from 180 NGOs urged the new CEO of Twitter to do more to combat antisemitism on the social media platform.
Citing a record rise in recent years of antisemitic incidents in the United States and Europe, the letter called on the tech billionaire to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Nearly 40 countries have officially adopted the definition, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Israel.
The IHRA definition has drawn fire from some academic circles for what they claim is an attempt to suppress criticism of Israeli policies. Despite this controversy, an increasing number of countries and organizations are adopting the definition.
"We call on you to update Twitter’s anti-hate policies by adopting the globally recognized IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism as a guiding tool to stymie the spread of Jew hatred," the letter stated.
It was signed by a diverse group of pro-Israel and Jewish organizations.
The letter cited examples of tweets that would be considered antisemitic under the IHRA definition and called for Twitter to start flagging antisemitic Twitter posts with potential warnings and informational graphics.
It is unclear if Musk wants to prioritize this issue, given that he has called himself a "free speech absolutist" and recently posted a picture on Twitter of a Nazi soldier.
The letter emphasized the importance of free speech, however, stating that the IHRA definition would flag antisemitic content "while abiding by the fundamental tenets of free expression that have guaranteed Twitter’s status as the digital town square."