Pallone Demands Social Media Platforms Take Immediate Action Against Spread of Violent Content and Disinformation Following Hamas’ Attack on Israel

“Social media companies must not allow their platforms to become agents of terrorist

propaganda and violence.”

Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today following reports that widespread disinformation and graphic, violent content is running rampant across social media in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel:

“Right now, disturbing content and deliberate disinformation are spreading across social media like wildfire. It must be stopped. Social media companies must not allow their platforms to become agents of terrorist propaganda and violence.

“This threat must be taken seriously, right now, so that social media platforms aren’t used to spread or broadcast graphic acts of violence and terrorism. I am calling on all social media companies – including X, Meta, and YouTube – to vigorously enforce their terms of service, immediately remove content that violates those terms, and permanently ban any user that intentionally attempts to spread or broadcast acts of terror, violence, or extremism. This abhorrent content is an affront to the victims and their families and serves only to further the terrorists’ violent agenda. Reports that Hamas has hacked some of their victims’ accounts and used them to spread terrorist content are particularly heinous, and platforms must act swiftly and decisively to stamp out these abuses.

“This situation underscores the need for social media platforms to maintain a robust and fully supported content moderation staff. Failure to do so is exactly that – a failure – and will not be tolerated as an excuse for inaction.”