Facebook is moving to crack down on live streaming — before governments step in to take control.
According to a report by the Syndey Morning Herald, Facebook is instituting new changes in response to the New Zealand shooting last month. Users who have violated the platform’s rules on hate speech would be restricted from going live. This would serve to prevent users who have a predilection towards committing extremist violence from streaming it on their platform.
The firm is likely to introduce these measures before the government meets with them later this month to discuss what it could have done to prevent the live-streamed murders on its platform.
The Australian government has pushed in legislation which would fine any companies who don’t act fast enough in removing terrorist content from their platform. They also plan to work with Google and Twitter in flagging up extremist content before it can gain an audience.
Facebook has come under heavy criticism over the past year, being branded as digital gangsters for its misuse of data, and slapped with fines for further privacy violations. The firm knows it’s on thin ice with legislators, and any changes which can appease lawmakers can only work in their favour.