Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish was recently attacked on her social media platforms by a suspected network of anti-Israel bots after she said “Hi Israel” in a promotional video for her new album.
Creative Community For Peace’s (CCFP) Digital Task Force released a report showing that Eilish’s social media accounts were flooded with thousands of bot-generated comments and many anti-Israel comments began to appear on her social media platforms.
CCFP’s special report analyzed the engagement on six of Eilish’s posts, following the release of her “Hi Israel” video. A clear pattern emerged, and for saying the name “Israel”, Eilish became the target of “a concerted effort of demonization” and her Instagram account was then flooded with thousands of bot-driven comments consisting of Palestinian flags, Palestinian solidarity-themed comments, and anti-Israel statements.
Analysis showed that of all the “top comments”, 30% were distinctly anti-Israel and were posted by users who have 0 posts on their personal profiles, a strong indicator of bot activity. These “top comments” garnered a total of 235,995 likes.
Of all the “top comments,” 48% were distinctly anti-Israel and were posted by users with 0-2 posts on their private profiles, the result of suspected bot activity. Those comments garnered a total of 291,995 likes.
“This coordinated attack on Billie Eilish is another example of how social media is used nefariously to manipulate public opinion and to attack and harass any artist, entertainer, or influencer that says anything positive about Israel,” CCFP stated.
CCFP director Ari Ingel told the Daily Mail that “it’s difficult to say for certain who’s behind the attacks. These are fraudulent accounts, carrying out coordinated anti-Israel campaigns by actors who have one goal, and that’s to demonize and delegitimize Israel.”
CCFP is a non-profit organization comprised of prominent members of the entertainment industry who have come together to promote the arts as a means to peace, to counter anti-Semitism, and to galvanize support against the cultural boycott of Israel.
