The Israeli Publishers Forum, which includes Keshet and Reshet, has penned a letter to the government urging regulation of the tech giants, who they accused of anti-Israel bias.
The letter to Minister of Communications Shlomo Kari and the Director General of the local competition authority said the industry has been “appropriated by foreign data and tech giants,” while calling for action against their dominance in the local advertising market. “These companies constitute an unjustified and artificial barrier between the Israeli content creator and the Israeli consumer,” it read.
The letter flagged that “most of the advanced nations in the world have identified concerns” arising from the growth of these behemoths, citing the likes of the EU, which has recently been taking on Elon Musk, along with the UK, Australia and New Zealand. “Around the world, significant action is being taken to enforce regulation with the purpose of preventing these internet giants from abusing their monopolistic power,” it said.
The letter went on to accuse the tech giants of bias, saying they “avoid the removal of any offensive content against Israel, but on the other hand, to the best of our knowledge, they work to remove pro-Israeli content, claiming that their actions are based on various algorithms which are not open to the public.”
“The events of October 7th and the subsequent months have proven unequivocally how important it is to maintain the existence of local communication companies and the Israeli media’s ability to provide the public with information that is critical, reliable, and up-to-date.”
It also stressed the need to preserve Israeli content and the Hebrew language.
“Israeli content is a product with unique characteristics that appeals to small markets, primarily because of the issues with which it deals and its use of the Hebrew language,” read the letter. “There is no alternative to Israeli content: Israeli media companies create local journalistic content alongside additional content touching on the Israeli culture and experience, in all its varieties.”
The letter was signed by Keshet and Reshet, two Israeli broadcasting powerhouses, along with Maariv, Globes, Israel Hayom, Jerusalem Post, Walla, Mako, local radio stations Radio North, 103FM, 99 FM and Radius FM.