Facebook Deletes 1.5 Million Videos of the New Zealand Terrorist Mass Shooting

Last week Facebook made an announcement that they deleted 1.5 million videos of the New Zealand mass shooting. They added that 1.2 million of those were erased during the upload process. The team made the announcement via Twitter — “In the first 24 hours after the deadly mass shooting in New Zealand, Facebook says that it has removed 1.5 million videos that were uploaded of the attack, of which 1.2 million ‘at upload’” (Liptak). This was done after the company was notified about the attack during which they were able to remove the alleged shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

After the alleged shooter successfully posted a 17 minute video on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram (although these companies made efforts to prevent this) it became apparent that the intention was for the shooting to go viral. This would not be the first time a terrorist seeked public attention for their attack — for example, the French terrorist attack in June of 2016 was very similar in this sense. This pattern is quite apparent and leads many to question the use of Facebook live and the level of regulations and moderations of their site.

“According to Reuters, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern indicated that she wants to speak with the company about live streaming, while British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said that such platforms must act, and raised the question about regulation” (Liptak). It is one thing for the public to be concerned with this issue, but when high-profile leaders begin to bring attention to this, it is essential that these companies start listening and making changes in order to avoid future reparations.

This news speak volumes to the lack of moderation Facebook is currently using. The company’s prioritization of influence and growth seem to be backlashing as they are lacking in other categories, such as the protection of their users and the victims of these attacks.What does this say about the companies values? Hopefully Facebook makes an appropriate change to their system on behalf of the victims and their mourning family and friends.

References:

Liptak, Andrew. “Facebook Says That It Removed 1.5 Million Videos of the New Zealand Mass Shooting.” The Verge, The Verge, 17 Mar. 2019, www.theverge.com/2019/3/17/18269453/facebook-new-zealand-attack-removed-1-5-million-videos-content-moderation.