Social media networks are facing a reckoning for their role in spreading far-right terrorist propaganda, after a deadly attack on a New Zealand mosque was live-streamed on Facebook.
Recognizing that the gunman's gruesome stunt was designed to go viral, governments and business leaders are now calling on Facebook, Twitter and Google to do more to rid their platforms of hate speech that could encourage violence.Most social platforms have taken aggressive action to tackle another extremist group in recent years: ISIS. But their response to white supremacists has been slower.
"In contrast, ISIS content is easier to identify because it tends to repeat words and phrases that don't appear in other content, said Pedro Domingos, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington and author of The Master Algorithm. The formulaic way that ISIS disseminated propaganda -- using hashtags in different languages, coded speech, watermarked videos and iconography -- also allowed review teams to easily create hash copies for blacklist.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | Why social media and terrorism make a perfect fitThe livestreamed slaughter in New Zealand is part of a long and dismal tradition.
Read more »
Trump 'wall' in desolate stretch of New Mexico has some asking: Why here?The radio on a Border Patrol SUV driving along the divide was mostly silent. To many locals and public officials familiar with the area, the $74-million structure just west of tiny Santa Teresa marks a surprising priority in the Trump administration’s efforts to build a wall against illegal immigration
Read more »
Perspective | Why Donald Trump’s response to the New Zealand shooting is dangerousA lack of vigilance from our leaders could result in white nationalism re-entering the cultural mainstream.
Read more »
Opinion | Why New Yorkers Flee for FloridaOpinion: If New York would cut taxes and regulations, maybe it could compete with Florida again, writes SenRickScott
Read more »
Why Video of New Zealand Massacre Can’t Be Stamped OutOnly 10 people were tuned into Brenton Tarrant’s Facebook Live stream after he allegedly shot worshipers in a New Zealand mosque. But copies of the video have likely been viewed millions of times on the internet, showing how hard it is stop the spread of online broadcasts.
Read more »
Facebook explains why its A.I. didn't detect the New Zealand mosque shooting videoFacebook said its artificial intelligence requires a large amount of content to learn patterns that would help it detect harmful content.
Read more »
Warren: White supremacists pose a threat to the US just like ISIS and al QaedaSen. Elizabeth Warren: 'White supremacists pose a threat to the United States just like any other terrorist group — like ISIS, like al Qaeda. And leadership starts at the top and that means you’ve got to call it out.'
Read more »