Social media platforms work to remove New Zealand shooting footage

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are working to remove "violent footage" of the New Zealand mass shootings. The gunman -- who killed 49 people and injured 20 in shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch -- appeared to live stream his attack to Facebook using a head-mounted GoPro camera. New Zealand Police said they were moving to have the "extremely distressing footage" removed.

A suspected gunman broadcast live footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants.

The video footage posted online live as the attack unfolded, appeared to show him driving to one mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.

Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay huddled on the floor, the video showed.

“Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the live stream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video,” Facebook tweeted.

“We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.”

Twitter said it had “rigorous processes and a dedicated team in place for managing exigent and emergency situations” such as this.

“We also cooperate with law enforcement to facilitate their investigations as required,” it said.

Alphabet Inc’s YouTube said: “Please know we are working vigilantly to remove any violent footage.”

Despite taking swift action, stopping the spread of unverified content may prove to be a tough challenge for Facebook and YouTube. By their very nature, the two platforms are geared to spread viral content, putting moderators on the backfoot once something gets shared.

Live streaming services have become a central component of social media companies’ growth strategy in recent years, but they are also increasingly exploited by some users to live stream offensive and violent content.