"Death to Jewish Pigs": The Game Stirring Controversy Online with Antisemitism

A further escalation in antisemitic statements and incitement: A popular mobile game exposes its users to hatred against Jews. This is a gradual process happening since the beginning of the war, while some companies have managed to prevent antisemitic incidents through thorough checks. It now becomes clear not all companies operating these platforms are managing to correct the situation. The app Chess.com, which includes chess, the most popular game for iPhone and Android, has turned into a venue for antisemitic expressions.

From numerous complaints that have come in from across the web, it emerges that users in the application have changed their pictures to antisemitic symbols such as swastikas and depictions of Hitler, may his name be erased, and even named themselves with explicit terms of hatred. Complaints made to the app's operators regarding these incidents have not received a response, and no effort has been made to remove the hateful content, including usernames like "Nazi" or "Death to Jewish pigs."

Tal Eden, CEO of Eden Insight Solutions and a user of the app, noted in an interview with Channel 12 news: "I pressed the 'Report' button like any reasonable person would, but I never received an answer to my complaint. When I searched the word 'Nazi' in the app, I found thousands of profiles using that term. Any app with social components must filter such content, and there are currently simple tools to do so. Therefore it is strange that Chess.com, an American company, does not engage in filtering such cases and does not respond to complaints."

The disregard shown by Chess.com towards expressions of hate speech in the app might constitute a violation of the company's regulations. Moreover, it might be a violation of the guidelines of Apple's and Google's app stores, which require social apps to allow users to report hate speech or violence. However, forums online are filled with numerous cases where Chess.com ignores calls on the matter.

The company told the channel in response: "The content is very disturbing and completely unacceptable. There is no place for hatred in chess or the app. Our guidelines prohibit antisemitic language, symbols, and images, and we treat such violations very seriously. Despite monitoring content both manually and automatically, unfortunately, there are isolated cases that slip through the system. The accounts you mentioned have been closed, and we continue to improve our monitoring tools and policies to protect the community and ensure chess remains a place for everyone."