Facebook says it has removed 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch mosque shootings in Newzealand “in the first 24 hours” after the attack.
“We continue to work around the clock to remove violating content using a combination of technology and people,” Facebook New Zealand’s Mia Garlick said on Twitter.
Garlick said that, of the removed videos, 1.2 million were “blocked at upload”.
“Out of respect for the people affected by this tragedy and the concerns of local authorities, we’re also removing all edited versions of the video that do not show graphic content,” she said. Hours after the attack, New Zealand police said they were working to have the footage removed while urging people not to share it. Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram have struggled to halt the spread of the video of the shooting. The Christchurch Mosque Shooting happened last Friday when a lone gunman stormed a mosque and opened fire on worshippers. Forty-nine people lost their lives and twenty people were injured.In the first 24 hours we removed 1.5 million videos of the attack globally, of which over 1.2 million were blocked at upload…
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 17, 2019
