NZ telcos ask social media giants to look at better ways of controlling content like Christchurch terror livestream

March 19, 2019

The heads of three of New Zealand's largest telecommunications companies have asked Facebook, Twitter and Google to help look for ways to limit videos like the Christchurch gunman's livestream.

The man, who is now in custody after killing or injuring 90 people on Friday afternoon, livestreamed his attack on social media sites.

Each of the three social media giants have since been struggling to contain re-uploaded versions of the footage, which has been classified as objectionable by the Chief Censor's office.

The CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google are Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai, respectively, and in an open letter to them today, Spark Managing Director Simon Moutter, Vodafone NZ Chief Executive Jason Paris and 2degrees Chief Executive Stewart Sheriff asked for a discussion to be initiated.

"Internet service providers are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, with blunt tools involving the blocking of sites after the fact," the letter reads.

"The greatest challenge is how to prevent this sort of material being uploaded and shared on social media platforms and forums.

"We call on Facebook, Twitter and Google, whose platforms carry so much content, to be a part of an urgent discussion at an industry and New Zealand Government level on an enduring solution to this issue."

The letter went on to say companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google have "duty of care to proactively monitor for harmful content, act expeditiously to remove content which is flagged to them as illegal and ensure that such material – once identified – cannot be re-uploaded."

"Technology can be a powerful force for good ... The very same platforms that were used to share the video were also used to mobilise outpourings of support ... but more needs to be done to prevent horrific content being uploaded."

YouTube said earlier today that at one point it had to remove one video per second of the Christchurch mosque attack, and that tens of thousands of copies have now been removed.

It is an offence to either possess or distribute an objectionable publication in New Zealand.

People who have a copy of the footage, or share it, run afoul of the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act, and they could be convicted and face a fine of $10,000 or up to 14 years in jail.

An 18-year-old man has appeared at Christchurch District Court yesterday charged with breaching the Act.

THE FULL TEXT OF THE OPEN LETTER

You may be aware that on the afternoon of Friday 15 March, three of New Zealand’s largest broadband providers, Vodafone NZ, Spark and 2degrees, took the unprecedented step to jointly identify and suspend access to web sites that were hosting video footage taken by the gunman related to the horrific terrorism incident in Christchurch.

As key industry players, we believed this extraordinary step was the right thing to do in such extreme and tragic circumstances. Other New Zealand broadband providers have also taken steps to restrict availability of this content, although they may be taking a different approach technically.

We also accept it is impossible as internet service providers to prevent completely access to this material. But hopefully we have made it more difficult for this content to be viewed and shared - reducing the risk our customers may inadvertently be exposed to it and limiting the publicity the gunman was clearly seeking.

We acknowledge that in some circumstances access to legitimate content may have been prevented, and that this raises questions about censorship. For that we apologise to our customers. This is all the more reason why an urgent and broader discussion is required.

Internet service providers are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, with blunt tools involving the blocking of sites after the fact. The greatest challenge is how to prevent this sort of material being uploaded and shared on social media platforms and forums.

We call on Facebook, Twitter and Google, whose platforms carry so much content, to be a part of an urgent discussion at an industry and New Zealand Government level on an enduring solution to this issue.

We appreciate this is a global issue, however the discussion must start somewhere. We must find the right balance between internet freedom and the need to protect New Zealanders, especially the young and vulnerable, from harmful content. Social media companies and hosting platforms that enable the sharing of user generated content with the public have a legal duty of care to protect their users and wider society by preventing the uploading and sharing of content such as this video.

Although we recognise the speed with which social network companies sought to remove Friday’s video once they were made aware of it, this was still a response to material that was rapidly spreading globally and should never have been made available online. We believe society has the right to expect companies such as yours to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms.

Content sharing platforms have a duty of care to proactively monitor for harmful content, act expeditiously to remove content which is flagged to them as illegal and ensure that such material – once identified – cannot be re-uploaded.

Technology can be a powerful force for good. The very same platforms that were used to share the video were also used to mobilise outpourings of support. But more needs to be done to prevent horrific content being uploaded. Already there are AI techniques that we believe can be used to identify content such as this video, in the same way that copyright infringements can be identified. These must be prioritised as a matter of urgency.

For the most serious types of content, such as terrorist content, more onerous requirements should apply, such as proposed in Europe, including take down within a specified period, proactive measures and fines for failure to do so. Consumers have the right to be protected whether using services funded by money or data.

Now is the time for this conversation to be had, and we call on all of you to join us at the table and be part of the solution.
 

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