Uncovering coded antisemitism online takes both human expertise and AI automation

"The FBI said the man who drove his truck into a synagogue outside Detroit in March 2026 posted on Facebook that "Israel is a cancerous/malignant growth" and "Israel is pure evil." The online footprint of the gunman charged with shooting and killing two Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum in May 2025 contained anti-Israel comments. The shooter sentenced to death for killing 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018 frequently used antisemitic hate speech in his social media."

"Hate speech uses feelings, emotions and attitudes that seek to dehumanize individuals or groups. At times, animosity is clear. But it can also take a more hidden form, using code words or terms understood only by like-minded people. Coded hate speech can evade online content censors and recruit people who might balk at more clearly discriminatory speech."

"There are an estimated 5.7 billion social media accounts worldwide. Even when hate speech is explicit, content moderators struggle with the volume and deciding how much to monitor users' speech. There are also alternative - some argue extremist - sites that limit content moderation, including 4chan, BitChute, Gab, GETTR, Parler, Rumble and Truth Social."

"Our Unmasking Antisemitism project uses artificial intelligence, qualitative analysis and survey experiments to develop studies and tools to detect both types of terms. This article discusses examples of antisemitic hate speech that are disturbing but illustrate types of terms and how to counter this dangerous influence."

Accused perpetrators of high-profile antisemitic attacks in the United States shared a pattern of posting hate speech on social media before the attacks. The FBI reported that a truck driver who hit a synagogue outside Detroit in March 2026 posted anti-Israel statements on Facebook. Another gunman charged with killing Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum in May 2025 had an online footprint containing anti-Israel comments. A shooter sentenced to death for the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack used antisemitic hate speech frequently on social media. Hate speech can dehumanize groups through explicit animosity or hidden coded language understood by like-minded people. Large volumes of content and limited moderation capacity, along with alternative platforms with weaker moderation, make detection difficult. Researchers use AI, qualitative analysis, and survey experiments to detect overt and coded antisemitic terms and develop tools to counter them.

Read at The Conversation