Facebook revamps livestreaming tools after Christchurch shooting

Facebook hopes to make its livestreaming tools safer—and protect its audience—with a new “one strike” policy.

The company faced heavy criticism after a gunman in New Zealand was able to broadcast a violent attack on a mosque. Social media companies generally have struggled to police violent speech on their platforms, but live video has presented unique problems for engineers trying to keep audiences safe.

Now, elected officials in New Zealand, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, are calling on government and tech leaders to do more to limit the spread of messages from hate organizations and terrorist groups.

NPR reported:

In a New York Times opinion column Saturday, Ardern wrote of the balance that must be struck: “Social media connects people. And so we must ensure that in our attempts to prevent harm that we do not compromise the integral pillar of society that is freedom of expression. But that right does not include the freedom to broadcast mass murder.”