Following a string of horrific incidents on the social media platform, Facebook is set to introduce new restrictions on live streaming in an effort to cut down on violence and disturbing videos. The most notable incident in recent weeks is the mosque shooting in New Zealand which left more than 50 worshippers dead.
The gunman live streamed his massacre on Facebook for nearly 17-minutes and the video quickly circulated across the platform.
“We have heard feedback that we must do more – and we agree,” Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told the New Zealand Herald. “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.”
While exact details were not unveiled, Sandberg did state that those who have violated “community” standards could have their access to Facebook Live limited in the future.
The company has also worked to remove “hate groups” from the platform.
“We are also investing in research to build better technology to quickly identify edited versions of violent videos and images and prevent people from re-sharing these versions,” she added,
Along with the horrific attack in New Zealand, we have seen a rise in other disturbing footage on Facebook.
In the past, we have seen the execution of 74-year-old Cleveland man Robert Goodwin Sr. live on the platform, along with multiple suicides in recent months. There was also Army veteran Jovonie McClendon Jr., who live-streamed a murder-suicide where he killed his girlfriend and her six-year-old son before turning the gun on himself.
Let’s hope that Facebook’s new standards can limit the broadcasting of these horrifying events while also discouraging others to follow in the footsteps of those before them in an effort to gain notoriety.
