NEW YORK (AP) — Social media companies are once again in the spotlight after a bank employee in Louisville killed five people in a mass shooting and livestreamed the attack on Instagram.
Tech companies have gotten better in recent years at cooperating to tamp down the spread of mass shooting videos on mainstream platforms.
But there’s still no easy way to stop shooters from broadcasting their grisly crimes without shutting down livestreaming services altogether.
Instagram parent company Meta, which also owns Facebook, said it quickly removed the livestream of the Louisville shooting on Monday morning.
But Meta did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday about how long it took to take down the livestream — or how many people watched it before it was removed.
Instagram allows users to anonymously report livestreams. Once a report has been submitted, the company’s policy states that it will review the broadcast “as quickly as possible” and remove those that violate its policies. Depending on the severity of the situation, the company may decide to end a live broadcast, disable the account or contact law enforcement.
