Act.IL (also Act-IL) was a social networking service used by supporters of Israel to oppose online "anti-Israel content" such as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS). Its activities were referred to as "an online propaganda campaign"[2] and "a virtual situation room of pro-Israel experts".[3]
| Developer(s) | Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya |
|---|---|
| Initial release | June 2017 |
| Platform | iOS, Android, web browser |
| Available in | 11 languages[1] |
| Type | social networking service |
| Website | https://app.act-il.com/ |
Act.IL directed its users to "missions" to like, comment on, and share pro-Israel material on social media. It also asked users to flag, report, and respond to unfair criticisms of Israel. Users were guided on how to respond, which might entail writing a reply using the provided talking points, or sharing or upvoting an allied comment. The app also provided users with ready-made memes promoting Israel's perspective for them to share. By completing missions users earned points, unlocked badges, and had their scores displayed on leaderboards.[4]
Act-IL was a joint project of the private Israeli university IDC Herzliya and the US-based Israeli-American Council.[4] The Maccabee Task Force, one of Sheldon Adelson's foundations, is a major funder of Act.IL.[2] The organization behind Act.IL is staffed by former intelligence officers and has a collegial relationship with the Israeli Intelligence Community. It had a close relationship with Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs which combats the BDS movement which it views as a threat.[5]
According to Mondoweiss, an email sent in March 2022 to the app's users announced that the app will be shut down but that users should continue to interact with Act.IL's content on its other social media platforms.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Act-IL". App Store. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- ^ a b Josh Nathan-Kazis (November 30, 2017). "Shadowy Israeli App Turns American Jews Into Foot Soldiers In Online War". The Forward. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
...a new Israeli government-linked crowdsourced online propaganda campaign
- ^ Noa Amouyal (June 4, 2017). "Combating BDS with a Push of the Button". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
Act.IL app creates a virtual situation room of pro-Israel experts.
- ^ a b Lark, Daniel (August 10, 2020). "Call of Duty". Jewish Currents. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Kaplan Sommer, Allison (9 January 2018). "Israeli-sponsored App Tries to Manipulate Google in Fight Against BDS". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Israel's anti-BDS app has been deactivated". Mondoweiss. 2022-03-11. Archived from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-03-20.