In the recent Christchurch mosque shooting, the gunman live-streamed his act of terrorism on Facebook. Social media firms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube were taking down the content as fast as they could, but could not contain new copies that were being circulated.
The gunman had also uploaded a 74-page ‘manifesto’ on his page, which were had been taken down. Another traditional media site, MailOnline, uploaded the ‘manifesto’ to its website but deleted the document after it was accused of spreading terrorist material. Regulators have made it known that companies need to act promptly to remove all terrorist content, making no room for terrorists to share their extreme views to radicalise others.
Tech companies’ policies, such as Youtube’s recent search policy, have helped to keep most graphic content hidden. There are dedicated teams within these tech companies to handle emergency situations and monitor for inappropriate content being uploaded by users.
Read the full article on The Guardian: Social media firms fight to delete Christchurch shooting footage
Analysis:
News outlets, as well as social media platforms, play an important role in reporting important happenings. The Christchurch mosque shootings highlight the power of social media’s ability to be a rapid sharing platform for extreme views. Such content have the potential to radicalise vulnerable viewers, and controls to prevent more of such incidents are increasingly emphasised by governments.
However, policies and technology are not foolproof, so tech companies will need to have better solutions to curb such incidents. News media outlets and individuals also hold responsibilities to report with sensitivity and urgency.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- What are the dangers of allowing violent terrorist content to be shared freely?
- How can users or readers help the situation?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘obscured’: undiscovered
- ‘egregious’: outstandingly bad; shocking
Picture credits:https://unsplash.com/photos/HUBofEFQ6CA