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The online platform Etsy has become embroiled in a scandal after it was reported that Israeli designer Sarah Attali was asked to remove any Jewish or Israeli descriptions from her products. This was reported by the Israeli state broadcaster KAN News.
Sara Attali, who sells headscarves on Etsy, asked the company to remove two of her products. In response, she was instructed to remove descriptions that mentioned Jewish or Israeli themes.
Designer’s reaction
Speaking to KAN News, Attali expressed surprise and mixed feelings about the incident.
“I have been working on this platform for many years and have never encountered a hostile attitude. It was surprising for me,” the designer said. She added that she sells her products all over the world and has customers of different nationalities and religions, including her best customer, a Muslim.
Etsy announces an “error”
Following an inquiry from Israeli journalists, Etsy issued a statement explaining that the situation was the result of a mistake.
“The support provided by the customer service representative was not in line with our policy. We are investigating this incident,” the company said in a statement.
Etsy also reported that it had contacted the seller about the items in her store that were “mislabelled by the systems that ensure the safety and reliability of the platform”.
Continuation of the investigation
The incident sparked a discussion about automated moderation systems on large online platforms and their impact on sellers from different countries. Etsy assured that it would take the necessary measures to avoid similar situations in the future.
