TikTok has appointed Erica Mindel, a former consultant for the Biden administration's antisemitism envoy, as its new public policy manager for hate speech, the Washington Free Beacon reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Mindel previously worked with Deborah Lipstadt, the US State Department's Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism. Lipstadt has faced scrutiny for her lack of public condemnation of antisemitic campus protests following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The move comes amid growing criticism of TikTok's handling of antisemitic content. The Jewish Federations of North America named TikTok the "worst offender" in a surge of online Jew-hatred, noting that users who spend over 30 minutes daily on the platform are more likely to adopt antisemitic views.
Instances of bigotry on the app have included conspiracy theories about Jewish world domination and search suggestions such as "Ashkenazi Jewish witchcraft Satanism." A letter by Osama bin Laden blaming Jews for media and economic control also went viral on the platform in late 2023.
Some TikTok employees have allegedly used internal communication tools to support anti-Israel boycotts and express pro-terrorist sentiments, while Jewish staff have accused the company of tolerating open bigotry.
Zionist Organization of America president Morton Klein questioned the appointment, citing Lipstadt's controversial record, including her support for the Biden administration's antisemitism strategy developed in collaboration with groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Klein described as Hamas-linked.
TikTok has not commented publicly on the appointment. Mindel did not respond to a request from the Washington Free Beacon for comment.