UK home secretary Sajid Javid warns tech giants over footage
Home secretary Sajid Javid has warned social media companies to "clean up their platforms" after the attack by a gunman in New Zealand, killing 49 people at two mosques, was live streamed on Facebook.
Javid told these firms they would face the "force of the law" if they did not more, with the video lasting 17 minutes before being taken down.
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Even then, the video has been replicated and posted out on other platforms such as YouTube and Twitter with firms struggling to keep it off the internet.
"Tech companies must do more to stop his messages being broadcast," Javid said in the Daily Express, as he also urged the public to stop viewing and sharing the "sick material".
"It is wrong and it is illegal. Online platforms have a responsibility not to do the terrorists' work for them.
"This terrorist filmed his shooting with the intention of spreading his ideology."
The government is set to publish a White Paper on "online harms" in the next few weeks and Javid added that the government was trying to address this "illegal" behaviour.
All of the social media companies sent messages of their condolences to the victims and reiterated that they act quickly to remove inappropriate content.
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"New Zealand Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the live-stream commenced and we removed both the shooter's Facebook account and the video," Facebook said.
Javid also responded to a YouTube tweet which said it was "working vigilantly" to remove any violent footage by saying that the digital companies needed to "take some ownership".