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 By Rob Lever Washington (AFP) March 15, 2019
A horrific video of the New Zealand mosque massacre was blocked by Facebook during its livestream but circulated on other social media, highlighting the challenges faced by internet platforms in curbing the spread of violent content. Facebook said it "quickly" removed a live video from the suspected gunman in twin mosque shootings in Christchurch that killed at least 49 people. But the livestream lasting 17 minutes was shared repeatedly on YouTube and Twitter, and internet platforms were scrambling to remove videos being reposted of the gruesome scene. The major internet platforms have pledged to crack down on sharing of violent images and other inappropriate content through automated systems and human monitoring, but critics say it isn't working. "There's no excuse for the content from that livestream to be still circulating on social media now," said Lucinda Creighton, a former government minister in Ireland and an advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, which campaigns to remove violent internet content. The online platforms "say they have their own technologies but we don't know what that is. There is no transparency, and it's obviously not working," she told AFP. The organization has developed technology that would flag certain kinds of violent content and offered it to internet firms, but has been rebuffed. Internet platforms have cooperated to develop technology that filters child pornography, but have stopped short of joining forces on violent content. Facebook has said it uses a combination of technology tools along with its own monitors and community reports to take down inappropriate content. While Facebook has hired about 20,000 moderators, several media reports have highlighted the stress it puts on people to watch violent content, and problems dealing with live videos. Mia Garlick of Facebook's New Zealand policy team said the social network was working to prevent repostings of the violent video. "We are adding each video we to find to an internal data base which enables us to detect and automatically remove copies of the videos when uploaded again," she said in a statement. "We urge people to report all instances to us so our systems can block the video from being shared again." - YouTube, Twitter scramble - New Zealand police, in a Twitter message early Friday, urged people not to share the "extremely distressing" footage from the Christchurch killings, which were seen on platforms such as 4chan and Reddit and some media websites. "We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. We are working to have any footage removed," the country's police department tweeted. Both Twitter and YouTube said they were working to remove the videos and related content. A Twitter spokesperson said issues such as the Christchurch video were handled rigorously by a dedicated team, adding that the platform cooperates with law enforcement. "Our hearts are broken over today's terrible tragedy in New Zealand. Please know we are working vigilantly to remove any violent footage," YouTube said in a tweet. Facebook said it had removed the video following a police alert and blocked the alleged shooter's Facebook and Instagram accounts. "We're also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we're aware," Facebook said. But Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University communications professor who follows social media, said the companies were doing far too little to prevent the spread of violent content. "Facebook is an unmoderated platform where you can stream anything you want," she said, arguing that no meaningful measures have been taken since a 2017 Facebook livestream of a murder in Cleveland, Ohio. Social networks have been caught flat-footed in many cases by videos showing violent acts including suicides and assassinations. The platforms have also been used for videos showing police brutality. Grygiel said it has become commonplace for perpetrators to use social media to gain attention to acts of violence, and that these are often shared on YouTube and other platforms. She said platforms like YouTube have the ability to find and remove violent videos with keyword searches, but that more people are needed to monitor the platforms. "They have the tools with social listening to go in with keyword terms and have moderators view and remove all videos linked to this type of incident," she said. Grygiel noted that artificial intelligence falls short, saying, "there's no algorithm that can be designed for this, because you can't predict the future."
N. Zealand mosque massacre sparks global horror Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the massacre in the city of Christchurch was clearly a "terrorist attack" and described it as "one of New Zealand's darkest days." Here is a summary of global reactions. - 'Horrible massacre' - "My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the mosques," US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter as his spokeswoman denounced it as a "vicious act of hate". - Muslims face 'mass killing' - "With this attack, hostility towards Islam that the world has been idly watching and even encouraging for some time, has gone beyond the boundaries of individual harassment to reach the level of mass killing," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "If measures are not taken right away, news of other disasters will follow this one." - 'Depraved and despicable' - "Murder of people at prayer, in their most holy and sacred place, is a depraved and despicable act. For people of all religions and of none, a red line has been crossed," Israeli President Reuven Rivlin wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel "mourns the wanton murder of innocent worshippers in Christchurch and condemns the brazen act of terror." And Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas described it as a "horrific and heinous criminal act", the official WAFA news agency said. - 'Painful memories' - Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg urged the international community to combat all forms of extremism, saying the Christchurch attacks revived painful memories of the 2011 mass killings by rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik. "It recalls painful memories of our own experience with July 22, the most difficult moment in the post-war period in Norway." - Not in my daughter's name - The mother of an 11-year-old Swedish girl killed in a 2017 jihadist attack expressed shock after the New Zealand gunman said one of his motivations was to avenge her death. The attack "goes against everything Ebba stood for," Jeanette Akerlund told Swedish public television SVT. Another person flagged by the Christchurch shooter was Luca Traini, an Italian jailed for 12 years over six non-fatal racist shootings in 2018, whose name was reportedly engraved on one of the guns. But Traini's lawyer Gianluca Giulianelli told Italian radio his client "would certainly distance himself from this tragedy... because he has... a strong feeling of repentance for what he did." - 'Odious but not my fault' - Writing on Twitter, Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the attacks but also said he pitied those who would blame him for the bloodshed. "Massacre in #NewZealand, condemnation and utter contempt for the odious murderers, prayers for the innocent victims, compassion for those who say 'it's always Salvini's fault'," he tweeted. Elsewhere, Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders, who is known for his outspoken anti-Islam views, said such violence was never acceptable. "These are shocking images. It is always sick to see people use violence, whoever you are and whatever you may think," he told public broadcaster NPO. "You never use violence... This is simply inhuman." - Prayers, solidarity with Muslims - At Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque, Grand Mufti Muhammad Ahmad, the city's highest Muslim authority, urged worshippers to hold special prayers for the victims of the attacks. And in Rome, Pope Francis assured "all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity," saying he was deeply saddened by such a "senseless acts of violence." And Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, New Zealand's head of state, sent condolences to those touched by the "appalling events" in Christchurch, saying her "thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders." - Increased patrols - London's Metropolitan police stepped up "reassurance patrols around mosques" and increased its contact with "with communities of all faiths," offering advice on how people and places could protect themselves. Australian police in New South Wales also increased patrols around mosques as a precaution. - 'Shocking cruelty' - Indonesian President Joko Widoyo, head of the world's largest Muslim country, said "we strongly condemn these kinds of violent acts," while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the bloodshed as a "dastardly attack." "An attack against peaceful people gathering for prayer is shocking in its cruelty and cynicism," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing hope that those responsible would "be severely punished." Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to New Zealand, with the country denouncing the violence and extending "sincere sympathy to the bereaved families." "Harrowing news from New Zealand overnight," said EU Council president Donald Tusk, denouncing it as a "brutal attack" but one which would never "diminish the tolerance and decency that New Zealand is famous for." - 'Racist hatred' - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she mourned for those "attacked and murdered out of racist hatred while peacefully praying" while French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "odious attack" and Britain's Theresa May denounced it as a "sickening act of violence." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his thoughts were with those affected by the attacks of "fanatics and extremists who want to destroy our societies". - UN minute of silence - "The murderous, Islamophobic, terrorist attack is yet another reminder that racism kills," said UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet as the Human Rights Council observed a minute of silence during a session on combatting extremist ideologies. UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said bloodshed "motivated by hatred and fear of others" was "deeply shocking."
US ups pressure on Europe over 5G infrastructure from China's Huawei Washington (AFP) March 13, 2019 The US upped pressure on Europe Wednesday to avoid turning to Huawei for 5G telecom infrastructure, with a top commander saying NATO forces would cease communicating with their German colleagues if Berlin teams up with the Chinese firm. The US and several other Western nations, fearful of the security risks posed by a company closely tied to the Chinese government, have shut Huawei out of tenders for the development of super-fast fifth-generation, or 5G, networks. "We're concerned about their te ... read more
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