Social media hunt to block terrorists
AUSTRALIAN law enforcement agencies will blitz social media to catch out extremists threatening violence in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said state and federal police had initiated an “immediate response” to the massacre allegedly committed by 28-year-old Australian man Brenton Tarrant.
Fifty people died in the massacre on Friday at two mosques on New Zealand’s South Island and about 36 people are in hospital.
The police response will include heightened monitoring of social media and other communication forums in an attempt to prevent any copycat attacks by far-right extremists, as well as reprisal attacks.
Although the threat level of a terrorist attack on Australian soil has not changed, police will be trying to keep a close eye on individuals including those on the far right.
Mr Morrison said the police response would be “right across the country and not just places of worship”.
“That is being implemented through the state and territory police forces and I want to commend them for the work they’re doing,” the PM said.
“The level of co-operation with federal agencies is exemplary, as you would expect it to be.
“We have stood up our response plan, it is in place, and that is the vigilance that is being applied each and every day to keep Australians safe ... and it’s also keeping Australians together.”
Mr Morrison also slammed social media companies, including YouTube, for waiting hours to take down the footage of the attack on the two Christchurch mosques filmed by the accused gunman.
The accused also posted a 74-page “manifesto” online before the attack. Leaders and police from both Australia and New Zealand pleaded with people and the media to not share or watch the video.
Mr Morrison said Facebook has previously suspended “these sort of” livestreams.
“Assurances were given that ... it could avoid this and clearly it hasn’t,” Mr Morrison said.
He said there needed to be some “very real” discussions about how such content could exist on social media.
Mr Morrison attended church services in Sydney yesterday that were held for the victims and to bring the community together in grief.