On Friday, a shooter livestreamed video of an attack on a mosque in New Zealand, killing at least 49 people. Social media companies Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have said they removed the original videos, but hours later, people are still reporting finding versions of the videos on their platforms.
Shortly after the shooting of one of the two mosque attacks in New Zealand on Friday used social media to livestream the rampage as it took place. Shortly after everything was getting reported, the social giants scrambled to remove his accounts, but versions of the video have remained on site for hours, even after the shooting. The shooting has killed at least 49 people.
Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube have stated that they removed the original video following the attack and have been monitoring. But according to reports from users, versions of the video are still being found on their platforms.
Twitter has removed the original video and has suspended the account that posted it, and is still working to remove any copies that were posted using other accounts. Twitter, in its defense, has said that both the account and video violated its policies. “We are deeply saddened by the shootings in Christchurch today,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement. “Twitter has rigorous processes and a dedicated team in place for managing exigent and emergency situations such as this. We also cooperate with law enforcement to facilitate their investigations as required.”
Facebook removed the stream soon as the company was alerted and has been working to remove content that praised the attack. “Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video,” said Mia Garlick of Facebook’s New Zealand office. “We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware. We will continue working directly with New Zealand police as their response and investigation continues.”
