Ehud Barak floats idea of total shutdown of social media before Israeli election

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak proposed a three-day shutdown of all social media platforms in Israel before the national election on October 27. Speaking on Channel 12, Barak cited concerns about the potential spread of fabricated content, particularly using AI tools. He suggested that Israel could “appeal to these companies [social media firms] and demand on behalf of the State of Israel to close these channels in the three last days [before the election].” Barak, a vocal critic of the current government, has previously called for a “civil insurrection” and “nonviolent civil noncompliance” to bring down the government, leading to past consideration of incitement and sedition charges against him.