Facebook, YouTube Blindsided by Mosque Shooter’s Live Video
- Social-media portals pledge to take down footage of shooting
- Platforms under pressure to curb spread of hate, violence
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Social media platforms including Facebook Inc. are facing harsher scrutiny after a shooter accused of killing 49 people in two mosques in New Zealand live-streamed the murders over the internet.
While platforms including Twitter and YouTube said they moved fast to remove the content, users reported it was still widely available hours after being first uploaded to the alleged shooter’s Facebook account. The video, which shows a first-person view of the killings in Christchurch, New Zealand, was readily accessible during and after the attack — as was the suspect’s hate-filled manifesto.