Facebook removed 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch shooting in 24 hours

The world is still reeling after the terrorist attack that took place in Christchurch, New Zealand last Friday.

The mass shooting was live streamed via Facebook by the shooter himself, and showed him entering a mosque and opening fire on everyone in sight.

On Friday, Facebook took down the video.

“We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.” the company noted further.

Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video. We're also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.

— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 15, 2019

Before the company could take action, users had already shared and copied the video, leaving Facebook and other social platforms with the task of removing them all.

In a tweet made on Sunday, the company revealed that it managed to removed 1.5 million videos within 24 hours.

In the first 24 hours we removed 1.5 million videos of the attack globally, of which over 1.2 million were blocked at upload…

— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 17, 2019

People were called out over various social media platforms for sharing the graphic content, so many edited the video to remove gruesome scenes.

Facebook however, also made the decision to remove the edited clips, as a sign of respect.

Out of respect for the people affected by this tragedy and the concerns of local authorities, we're also removing all edited versions of the video that do not show graphic content." — Mia Garlick, Facebook New Zealand

— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 17, 2019

According to updates since the attack, the Australian man who posted the live stream was the sole perpetrator of the crime.

At the time of writing, the death toll stands at 50 people.

Feature image: Memeburn