How poison spreads
After the racist massacre in Buffalo, there should be no doubt that social media companies have a right and indeed a responsibility to stop people from wantonly spreading livestreams and after-the-fact videos of bloodbaths, as well as hate-speech strewn ramblesencouragingmorebigotedviolence.Thisinnoway infringes on the First Amendment; instead, that constitutional provision (and federal law, specifically Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act) is what safeguards companies’ ability to moderate the forums they host to ensure that they don’t become engines for the promotion of dehumanizing or otherwise abhorrent speech.
If potential Twitter owner Elon Musk can learn, this is a teachablemomentforhimandothersupposedfree-speech absolutists.
The young man who killed 10 people in a supermarket live-streamed his crime on Twitch, a platform used mainly for watching other people play video games. Responsibly, Twitch pulled the plug within two minutes, as it clearly violated its guidelines that “any content or activity featuring, encouraging, offering, or soliciting illegal activity is prohibited” and “acts and threats of violence...are considered zero-tolerance violations,” and, for good measure, bar contentpromoting“discrimination,denigration,harassment,or violence based on the following protected characteristics: race, ethnicity, color, caste, national origin, immigration status, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, serious medical condition, and veteran status.”
Despitesimilarlanguageinitstermsofservice,Facebook allowed the massacre to be viewed nearly 2 million times; the footage apparently didn’t trip the website’s automated safeguards. For shame.
The perpetrator didn’t just end lives with an assault rifle; he demeaned and degraded them in a bigoted, violence-inciting 180-page rant. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube and other sharing machines should all prevent sharing of the screed in full, while allowing newsworthy portions to be dissected, researched and reported on. People who are determined can readily find it. These platforms don’t have to be accessories.
The Constitution bars government regulation and punishment of expression (with important exceptions). Businesses built to facilitate the sharing of words and images have a duty to do better.