Tech & Terrorism: Tech Companies Fail To Stop Buffalo Attack Video From Proliferating

[Boats]

Tech & Terrorism: Tech Companies Fail To Stop Buffalo Attack Video From Proliferating OnlineBy:
By: Counter Extremism Project - 05-18-22
Re: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...cNrhNZkZgsCGrR

Inability To Stop Reuploads Calls Into Question Big Tech’s Promises To Do Better After 2019 Christchurch Attack

(New York, N.Y.) — On Saturday, May 14, a gunman targeting African Americans opened fired at a Buffalo, New York grocery store, killing 10 and wounding three others, while livestreaming his attack on the Amazon-owned platform Twitch. Twitch cut off the video within two minutes of the start of the attack. Despite taking down the stream, the video was captured and reshared across multiple tech platforms.

The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) on Monday found that violent white supremacists shared the video on Telegram and AnonFiles. The video was also spread on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, BitChute, and Streamable. The video has accumulated more than three million views on these sites in a short time. Meta-owned Facebook allowed some links to remain online for up to nine hours, and Twitter still had video clips on its platform over 24 hours after the attack.

Facebook and Twitter, along with the industry consortium the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), have stated that they are working to remove the Buffalo video using a shared hashing database.

The attack—and Big Tech’s inability to stop the spread of footage online—draws a haunting parallel to the March 15, 2019, Christchurch terrorist attack where the perpetrator livestreamed part of his assault. Additionally, multiple aspects of the Buffalo attack are directly inspired by the Christchurch attack, as directly stated in the accused gunman’s online manifesto and his use of similar tactics and iconography. The presumed gunman also explicitly stated that he hoped to inspire future violence.

“After the Christchurch attack, tech companies needed to answer two questions: have they learned any lessons about their failure there, and what new processes will they put in place to prevent a similar incident? While the Buffalo livestream was removed from Twitch within two minutes of the start of violence, they were widely unsuccessful in stopping its proliferation and reuploads online. Already, it’s been watched and shared by millions of people,” said CEP Senior Advisor and University of California, Berkeley professor Dr. Hany Farid. “This was a problem we saw in 2019, and it is a problem we are seeing once again despite years of promises from the tech industry.”

Following the Christchurch terrorist attack, the GIFCT and major tech companies, including Meta (then Facebook), Microsoft, Twitter, Amazon, and YouTube, signed the Christchurch Call to Action, a nine-point action plan aimed at fighting terrorism and violent extremism online. The nine action points included a pledge to invest in new technologies to improve terrorist content detection and removal, a commitment to implementing livestreaming checks to reduce risks of disseminating terrorist content, and, among other things, a promise to improve sharing technological developments between large and small companies. The fact that reuploads of the Buffalo attack video continued to occur, including on platforms owned by signatories to the Christchurch Call to Action, calls into question the tech industry’s level of commitment and technological ability to stop the ongoing spread of terrorist content.
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Personal note: How can we stop all the ongoing rhetoric and ill will within our Country
and that of the World Order? These issues seem to continue over and over again.
Fighting amongst yourselves within our Nation - is out of control. We've become
a radical society of late. Reps vrs Dems isn't going to work to any quick end results.
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The current governmental structure (or operations) seems to have lost it's ability to
work together for the People - rather then themselves. Without cooperation - and
your lack a willingness to show promise or at least compromise - is long over due.
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The People of this Country look to you - to resolve the national issues and any
discontent that has spread all across our country. You're personal grievances
are unimportant - it's the People you serve - not your pockets.
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The ongoing discontent is showing - and your radical conversations only excite
and create the incidents that are currently going on while your in office. You
represent the People - and not your personal congressional insecurities.
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It amazes many to witness your disiplays in Congress and with the Media.
These self-interest glorifications you all display lessen's your abilities - moreso
if you so deem it necessary.
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We The People - put you in office - and believe or not - we can take you out
of office - should your actions deprive the People's of this Country.
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Work together - get a resolve - show us you care about this Country, and not
your specific Party whims. Your display's of displeasure is disgusting to watch
on TV - and all your antics - do not come to any resolutioni or a resolve.
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Again I say - It's We The People - Not we the House or Senate - get that
through your heads - and get the job(s) done! Show us you can do it -
don't BS us and say its our fault. You're acting like wolverine's biting each
others head - while in congress. Do it right or don't do it at all.
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As I've said before - HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM and that
applies to Congress very much so!
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