BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Report: Social media platforms ‘weaponized’ alleged Buffalo shooter

People stand in the parking lot of the Tops Friendly Market on Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. The Buffalo supermarket where 10 Black people were killed by a white gunman is set to reopen its doors, two months after the racist attack. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — A new report from the New York Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday accuses social media platforms and the dark web of radicalizing Payton Gendron, the teenage suspect in the May 14 attack on the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, which resulted in 10 deaths.

“Fringe online platforms, like 4chan, radicalized the shooter; livestreaming platforms, like Twitch, were weaponized to publicize and encourage copycat violent attacks; and a lack of oversight, transparency, and accountability of these platforms allowed hateful and extremist views to proliferate online, leading to radicalization and violence,” New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul concluded in the 47-page report.

Citing the use of social media to plan and promote the Buffalo rampage, the investigative report called on state legislatures Tuesday to discourage the livestreaming of homicides after finding the shooter was “galvanized by his belief that others would be watching him commit violence in real time.” 

James, a Democrat, suggested New York lawmakers make it illegal for platforms to allow livestreamed homicides and to impose fines on individuals who share the shooter’s images or videos.

To do so, the report recommended companies take up livestreaming restrictions, like identity-verification requirements and streaming delays, to catch violent video footage before it goes online.

In addition, James’ office is also recommending changes to Section 230 of the Federal Communications Decency Act, which requires companies to “take reasonable steps to prevent unlawful violent criminal content from appearing on their platforms.”

“The tragic shooting in Buffalo exposed the real dangers of unmoderated online platforms that have become breeding grounds for white supremacy,” James said in a statement.

While the New York Attorney General’s Office has acted aggressively to prevent the tragic events in Buffalo from being repeated, including strengthening gun laws and barring the sale of bullet-resistant vests to most civilians in the state, this report represents the most far-reaching effort by U.S. law enforcement to examine the role of the internet in a mass shooting.

 “This report is further proof that online radicalization and extremism is a serious threat to our communities, especially communities of color,” James said.

So far, James’ office has subpoenaed 4chan, 8kun, Reddit, Discord, Twitch and YouTube, as well as other online platforms where graphic content of the shooting or the shooter’s manifesto, appeared, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Rumble.

Northeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

48°F Clear Feels like 48°
Wind
1 mph NNW
Humidity
52%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
46°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
1 mph N
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous