David Shanks felt a familiar, deep sense of distress when he learned over the weekend that a video that was rapidly spreading online showed the mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
Just three years ago, Mr Shanks was confronted directly and personally with the question of how to stop the broadcast of a video of the horrific shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Mr. Shanks recently completed his five-year term as “Chief Censor” in New Zealand. He is in Winnipeg this week, along with other international experts, to develop strategies to tackle dangerous digital spaces.
After the “live filming” of Saturday’s shooting in the United States, a particular sense of urgency permeated the Winnipeg conference, organized by the Canadian Center for Child Protection.
It particularly struck Mr Shanks, who five years ago was monitoring compliance with digital content regulations when a white supremacist entered two New Zealand mosques and killed 50 people, while injuring many more. However, the killer also broadcast his massacre live on Facebook.
The use of social media in this violent attack was unprecedented. The video quickly spread online — and widely. “I immediately realized that we were dealing not only with a horrible terrorist attack, but also with a terrible media event,” said Mr. Shanks. [La vidéo] was multiplied and even recommended to users on some platforms. »
Unlike in other countries, Mr. Shanks had the power to ban, in New Zealand, the video as well as the threatening message published by the killer. The ban has made it illegal in this country to view, possess or distribute this video or document.
This rapid response from the New Zealand body then allowed the opening of a global debate on the regulation of the Internet, in particular with regard to harmful or toxic videos.
Experts say regulations are behind schedule even as more shooters, inspired by the Christchurch massacre, use the internet as a tool to spread violent ideology. “And what else do we see? Another tragedy” in Buffalo, Shanks recalled.
“Self-regulation has not worked”
US authorities said an armed white man entered a supermarket in a predominantly black Buffalo neighborhood on Saturday and killed 10 people, while three others were injured. The shooting is being investigated federally as a hate crime and is considered a case of violent extremism with supremacist motivation.
According to police, the gunman mounted a camera on his helmet to broadcast his attack live on Twitch, an online gaming site. This maneuver was intended to echo the massacre in New Zealand, by wanting to inspire other extremists and by widely disseminating his racist beliefs, according to the police.
Buffalo’s video was flagged quickly by social media platforms, experts say; it therefore spread much more slowly than that of Christchurch. But it would still be possible to easily find her on several social media sites.
John Carr is the UK secretary of a coalition of children’s charities interested in internet safety, as well as an adviser on internet safety legislation. He believes the Buffalo video highlights how the tech sector still doesn’t regulate itself enough. It is time, he said, for governments to get involved: self-regulation of the sector, on a voluntary basis, has not worked, he says.
Lianna McDonald, director of the Canadian Center for Child Protection, has seen the long-lasting — and far-reaching — effects of online videos. The center has developed the “Arachnid” project, to combat the growing proliferation of child sexual abuse images on the Internet. The online tool scours websites for such images and is used by organizations and police departments around the world.
Ms. McDonald points out that a lack of regulation can also be harmful for children. One in three Internet users in the world is a child — it’s one in five in Canada. The videos can also add to the trauma of victims, she added. “It’s the worst moment of your life and people all over the world are watching it. »
The European Union has agreed on historic regulations for web giants. Australia and New Zealand are also moving in the same direction.
Experts point out that more and more countries that have decided to regulate this sector are forcing technology companies to act proactively in order to keep their platforms free of violence and safe for users.
Canada has indicated that it is moving in this direction. Ms. McDonald is part of the “expert advisory group on online safety”, set up by the federal government to help it establish a regulatory framework to combat harmful content online.
Ms. McDonald admits there have been some changes from governments and technology platforms, but she believes it’s too slow. “We must act now. »