On March 15, shootings at two mosques during Friday prayers in New Zealand left 51 Muslims dead. The massacre itself was horrific, but what made it even worse was that the shooter live streamed the event on Facebook. Tech companies scrambled to remove the video after it appeared online, but they were unable to do so. Less than two weeks after the shooting, New Zealand officially banned people from sharing the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto or video . Consequences for owning or sharing the video weren’t initially made clear. Then on Tuesday, a Neo-Nazi was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sharing a video of the Christchurch massacre, Gizmodo reported . Philip Arps pled guilty to two counts of distributing objectionable material, New Zealand outlet RNZ reported . Arps sent it to about 30 people, but that’s not where he ended. He told the judge overseeing his case that the video — where bodies of dead children are visible — was “awesome.” In addition, RNZ reported that Arps asked...

During Friday prayers on March 15th, fifty Muslims were killed in two New Zealand masjids in Christchurch. The massacre by itself was horrifying, but made even more so by the realization that one of the shooters live streamed everything on Facebook. Videos of the shooting spread across social media before the death count was even confirmed. As an attack, Christchurch noticeably revolved around social media. It was designed to go viral,  with the shooter not only live streaming but uploading a 17-minute video to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. But, perhaps most alarmingly, the shooter also released a manifesto in which he espoused white nationalist rhetoric. The shooter identified popular YouTubers as a source of inspiration. Since the shooting, tech companies  — including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube —have scrambled to remove videos of the Christchurch shooting, but some were still found lingering on platforms in May . On Sunday, following a day-long summit...

On March 15, at least 50 Muslims were killed in two New Zealand mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The shooter live-streamed the event on Facebook, and since then, the company has been scrambling to remove copies of it across its platform. Now, a CNN report reveals videos of the shooting can still be found on both Facebook and Instagram. Eric Feinberg — a founding member of the Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Center — found nine videos. Each of them had originally been put up the week of the attack. One copy of the video on Instagram initiated the platform’s “Sensitive content feature.” Still, the video had been viewed more than 8,000 times and was only taken down after CNN showed it to Facebook on Wednesday. In the original 24 hours after the shooting broadcasted, Facebook removed 1.5 million videos globally , of which 1.2 million were blocked at upload. On March 21, Facebook then created a blog post explaining how it handled videos of the Christchurch shooting ....

Last week, Facebook refused to remove a video of Canadian white nationalist Faith Goldy lamenting white “replacement” and the invasion of white European countries. The decision came despite Facebook’s recent ban of white nationalism and white separatism. Now, the company is pulling a slight reversal by banning a bunch of Canadian white nationalist groups from Instagram and Facebook, but only under rules preventing hate groups, as reported by the Hill . The groups were not pulled under the white nationalism and white separatism ban, even though that’s exactly the kind of rhetoric they engage in. The ban will extend to Faith Goldy, Kevin Goudreau, the Canadian Nationalist Front, Aryan Strikeforce, Wolves of Odin, and Soldiers of Odin, according to the Hill. TORONTO, ON – September 25: Faith Goldy speaks to the crowd. Mayoral candidate Faith Goldy and some of her supporters protested outside of Corus Quay where a Mayoral debate was held to which she was not invited. Some protesters...

Since the Christchurch shooting broadcasted live on its platform, Facebook has received a lot of questions. On Saturday, the New Zealand Herald published a letter from Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg answering questions and outlining restrictions for live video in the future. Describing the attacks as “pure evil,” Sandberg acknowledged that people “rightfully questioned” the use of online platforms to spread the video. She said the company was “committed to reviewing what happened” and went on to add: “We have heard feedback that we must do more – and we agree. In the wake of the terror attack, we are taking three steps: strengthening the rules for using Facebook Live, taking further steps to address hate on our platforms, and supporting the New Zealand community.” The first step involves “exploring restrictions” for who can utilize Facebook Live “depending on factors such as prior Community Standard violations.” In addition, Facebook is investing in better...

Since it allowed the Christchurch shooting video to livestream on its platform, Facebook has faced increased public scrutiny. That wasn’t helped by a report earlier this week that showed Facebook allowed Neo-Nazi groups to remain on the platform, because they “do not violate community standards.” Now, the company has suddenly changed its tune. On Wednesday, Facebook shared in a blog post that conversations with academics and civil rights groups have led it to (finally) ban white nationalism, writing: “Today we’re announcing a ban on praise, support and representation of white nationalism and separatism on Facebook and Instagram, which we’ll start enforcing next week. It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services.” It’s important to note that Facebook previously excluded white nationalism and white separatism from its ban on white supremacy, as reported by The Associated Press . This is a big move for the same company that...

Since the Christchurch shooting, tech companies have scrambled to keep video of it offline — and they haven’t really succeeded. On Sunday, Microsoft’s president Brad Smith published a blog post addressing tech and its role in tragedies like this. Many companies have said that they simply weren’t prepared for an event like Christchurch. The video originally streamed on Facebook Live and later, the company said its artificial intelligence couldn’t detect the video to stop its spread. However, in his blog post, Smith argued that tech companies should have been prepared in advance. “Ultimately, we need to develop an industrywide approach that will be principled, comprehensive and effective,” Smith wrote. “The best way to pursue this is to take new and concrete steps quickly in ways that build upon what already exists.” Smith noted that “individuals are using online platforms to bring out the darkest sides of humanity,” as demonstrated by Christchurch. The attack was designed to go viral...

On Saturday, New Zealand’s Office of Film & Literature Classification officially banned the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto. By labeling it as “objectionable,” the government is considering its ban as a justifiable limit on freedom of expression. Under the ban, it’s now illegal to have a copy of either the video or the document and to share it with others — including online links. The New Zealand government urges people to report social media posts, links or websites displaying the video or manifesto here . If someone is found to have the manifesto, they can face up to ten years in prison, and those distributing it could face up to 14 years, as reported by Business Insider . The consequences for owning or sharing the video, though, are unclear. Although the full video is banned, it doesn’t mean any screenshots or other still images from it falls under that. The Office of Film & Literature Classification website notes images from the video “depicting scenes of violence, injury or...