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New Zealand PM Wants Social Platforms To Crack Down On Hateful Content

New Zealand's prime minister is putting pressure on social media companies after parts of a deadly mosque attack were livestreamed on Facebook.
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New Zealand's prime minister is asking social media platforms to crack down on hateful content after a shooter livestreamed an attack at a mosque on Facebook.

The video quickly spread to other platforms, including YouTube and Twitter. 

Fifty people at two different mosques were killed Friday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it one of New Zealand's darkest days. 

She said Monday: "I would call on our social media platforms of all varieties to demonstrate the kind of responsibility that both lead to these events and that includes those who perpetuate the messages in the aftermath. There's a lot of work to be done."

Facebook says it removed 1.5 million videos of the attack within 24 hours. Ardern said those blocked videos suggest Facebook could "take a very direct approach to instances of speech that incites violence or that incites hate." She called on social media companies to acknowledge how their platforms were used in the lead-up to the mosque shooting.

Other critics also say Facebook should have caught the livestream earlier. The platform has content moderators, but it reportedly only took down the video and removed the shooter's Facebook account after it was alerted by police.

Meanwhile, other companies are also working to keep the video off their platforms. On Friday, YouTube said it was "working vigilantly to remove any violent footage," and Twitter said it was taking down all depictions of the attack.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.