(Bloomberg) — New York state Attorney General Letitia James called for legislation to crack down on online extremism, including penalties for reposting content created by the perpetrator of a homicide, after 10 people were killed in a racially motivated shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
(Bloomberg) — New York state Attorney General Letitia James called for legislation to crack down on online extremism, including penalties for reposting content created by the perpetrator of a homicide, after 10 people were killed in a racially motivated shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
The recommendations released on Tuesday followed an investigation requested by Governor Kathy Hochul in response to the May rampage. The attorney general’s office reviewed thousands of pages of documents and social-media content to examine how the alleged shooter used the internet to prepare and publicize his attack.
The investigation found that “fringe” online platforms like 4chan radicalized the shooter; livestreaming platforms like Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch helped publicize and encourage copycat attacks; and a lack of oversight, transparency and accountability of those platforms allowed extremist views to proliferate, leading to violence.
“The tragic shooting in Buffalo exposed the real dangers of unmoderated online platforms that have become breeding grounds of White supremacy,” James said in a statement accompanying the release of a 47-page report on the probe. “Online platforms should be held accountable for allowing hateful and dangerous content to spread on their platforms.”
Read more: Online platform used by accused Buffalo shooter hires lobbyists
James called for a New York state law that would create a civil penalty for anyone who reshares or reposts content from someone who commits a homicide, and criminalize graphic images or videos created by the perpetrator of a homicide. She also is seeking changes to Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act to require companies to take “reasonable steps” to prevent unlawful violent criminal content from appearing on their platforms.
The attorney general’s office examined several online platforms used by the alleged shooter, including Reddit, Discord, 4chan, 8chan, Twitch and YouTube. Investigators found graphic content of the shooting or the shooter’s manifesto on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Rumble, according to the report.
“Investigators looked at how platforms have been used to distribute and promote racist and antisemitic memes and messages and share graphic media of previous racially motivated violence, both of which contributed to the alleged shooter’s radicalization,” the report said.
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