Christchurch-appeal: Who does nothing, has already resigned

murdered Than Australians in Christchurch, new Zealand in March, 51 people were able to watch him million people. The bombers streamed his act live on Facebook. Only 29 minutes after the Start, someone reported the Video too late: The images of the attack spread in the network, do it today.

Therefore, it is understandable that many wish to have a stricter regulation of the live streams, a stronger Intervention of social networks, better Monitoring of the material sent. First of all, the new Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has initiated the so-called Christchurch-appeal: Together with other States and with the technology platforms, you want to prevent live broadcasts of extremist acts in the future. The call is supported by countries such as new Zealand, France, and Germany. From the Tech-company with, among others, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft.

In the appeal, commit countries and platforms, to work together to combat terrorism, and have set specific targets: The governments want to enforce laws that make the production of extremist content, and to media education of terrorism prevention. The platforms, meanwhile, want to prevent, in principle, that people upload to the terrorist Streams, among other things, with better technology. In addition, you want to make in their terms and conditions clearer, what are the consequences, should someone share extremist Material, and these also prevail. Also you want to check your Algorithms and other processes and see what they recommend and how you draw people may be in terrorist groups.

Facebook had announced in anticipatory obedience already to want to react faster. So Users should be allowed to users to create live streams and more, if you have previously been in breach of the rules of the network. The company wants to put in addition, 7.5 million dollars in research to detect tampered Videos better. After the events in Christchurch, Facebook had some trouble to identify the newly uploaded copies of the assassin videos.

The Initiative is welcomed actually. Because, of course, companies should, countries should, we should think as a society about how to prevent extremist content spread further and further. And also, to contribute to the degree to which social networks of dissemination, even if only unintentionally.

But the very vaguely worded Christchurch appeal and the Facebook announcement, which contains many restrictions, to interpret it: With a bit more executed it is not done to just. What exactly is that supposed to be an extremist or terrorist content? It's enough to keep a gun in the picture? Or the Pose is crucial? How to differentiate between fiction and the real threat? Above all: Who decides and who controls this decision? The of Ardern initiated an appeal seems to be to leave this task to, once again, the major platforms: you need discretion, what content or what kind of Person you are deleting, when and how to block or even.

And, although the have made in other areas to prove how bad you are at it. Twitter blocked in recent days, accounts of the media, politicians, and lawyers for alleged "misleading" in relation to the European elections. Basis for the adopted rules, with which the company wants to prevent the improper influence of the choice are. Among the Banned were the Jewish General, as well as according to the Reports of the Berlin SPD Deputy, Sven Kohlmeier, and several lawyers. On demand, Twitter said that "sometimes errors" happen. On YouTube, the content of opponents, appeared inside long prominent in search results. And on Facebook live stream of murders and rapes spread. Why the platforms should be better to identify terrorist content at an early stage and to banish, is not evident.

While the supporters emphasize the inside and the supporters of the Christchurch-appeal, that you stand up for free speech and a free Internet. Nevertheless, the danger of an over consists of blockings, so that much more content will be blocked, as in the narrow Definition of extremism and terrorism from the social networks must be removed. Now, you may not find it dramatically, if Twitter or Facebook will prevent a lump sum of publications of Videos, in which someone posing with a gun. However, the assassin of Christchurch has begun its Livestream out of the car, only later murders were to be seen during the Transfer. Need to set the registry so people who watch every Livestream from the front to the back? In the past, employees only react to notices from other Users.