Social Platforms Struggle to Halt Viral Spread of New Zealand Shooting Video
Major tech companies face an ongoing battle to remove live-streamed footage of a deadly mosque attack in New Zealand as copies rapidly multiply across the internet.
A shooter who murders at least 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, live-streams the horrific attack on Facebook to ensure the footage goes viral. The original 17-minute broadcast comes down eventually, but not before viewers download and replay the video, causing copies to rapidly proliferate across YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit.
This tragic event highlights the Sisyphean struggle social media companies face when policing violent content on their platforms. Experts compare the effort to a game of whack-a-mole, as platforms take down one copy only to see another version pop up elsewhere, taking advantage of the instantaneous reach these tech giants provide.
Companies rely on a combination of artificial intelligence and human moderators to detect and remove prohibited material, but these tools often fail to stop violent content before it spreads widely. New Zealand police strongly urge the public not to share the distressing footage, as mass shooters typically crave the notoriety that comes with viral online attention.