Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David Ibsen released the
following statement today as major tech companies and public officials mee


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New Zealand, France Co-Host Virtual Summit Regarding Christchurch Terror
Attack Video And Extremist Content Moderation

 

(New York, N.Y.) – Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David
Ibsen released the following statement today asmajor tech companies and public
officials
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meet virtually to discuss the March 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and
efforts to remove the infamous attack video online. The perpetrator, Brenton
Tarrant, livestreamed his assault and, in the immediate aftermath of the terror
attack, footage from the video wasreuploaded
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over a million times on Facebook and other online platforms. The video can be
found on the Internet today, potentially inspiring extremists worldwide.

 

“The fact that the Christchurch attack video can still be found online two
years later is unacceptable. The greater the availability, the greater the
chance of online radicalization and further atrocities. Although progress has
been made in removing it from the Internet, more must be done. The solutions
are not new or unknown to the tech companies, which must consistently and
transparently enforce their own existing policies and terms of service to
prohibit the video from appearing.

 

“CEP routinely finds examples of the attack video or those praising it online,
and this week found multiple examples on Google-owned YouTube that glorified
the terrorist. Further, although tech companies will almost certainly return to
the familiar refrain of wanting to balance content moderation with freedom of
speech, U.S. law extends no such protection from the regulation of speech by
anyone outside the government. Tech companies are free to remove whatever
content they wish, and in the case of extremist content they should do so. This
is vital for public safety and the fight against terror.”

 

Christchurch Attack Video Located On The Internet Archive, Accounts Praising
Attacker Located On YouTube

 

The week of May 9 to May 15, CEP researchers located three accounts on YouTube
that glorified the Christchurch terrorist. Two accounts used positive drawings
of the attacker as their user icon and were named for the terrorist, while the
final account used a photo of the terrorist as its user icon and was also named
for him. The Christchurch terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, was sentenced to life in
prison for murdering 51 people, injuring 40 others, and committing a crime of
terrorism.

 

CEP has also located four different uploads of the Christchurch attack video
on the Internet Archive. All uploaded in 2021, the videos were added in
January, February, and two in April and had 226 views, 43 views, ten, and four,
respectively. CEP has repeatedly found versions of the attack video and content
praising the attacker on the Internet Archive. 

 

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