Twitter fails to detect Christchurch attack video as 'harmful', New Zealand's govt reaches out

A video of the horrifying Christchurch attack circulating widely on Twitter has been removed, but only after being alerted by the New Zealand government.

The video was shot by an Australian supremacist who killed over 50 Muslims in two mosques in Christchurch in 2019. It was uploaded by a Twitter user on Saturday (Nov 26).

The microblogging site had failed to recognise the content. A spokesperson for New Zealand's prime minister said the company's automated function didn't recognisethe content as harmful.

After the incident, Ardern on Monday (Nov 28) said that 'time will tell' Twitter's commitment to remove hate and harmful content. The microblogging site assuredthe government and asked it to not change its membership.

The attack in 2019 was live-streamed at the time across many social media channels and theterrorist had also published a manifesto online.

After the attack, the New Zealand prime minister launched a 'Christchurch call' to counter online extremism and the spread of false information. The initiative has also been supported by Jack Dorsey, Twitter's founder.

Ardern, during a national security and disinformation summit, said that Twitter has always played a role in the Christchurch call "and to-date has been a constructive partner."

However, she added that the partnership is under an unknown territory after Elon Musk's takeover.

Remarking Twitter as a tool that can be used for good and bad both, Ardern urged Elon Musk to stick strongly to the principle of 'transparency.'

(With inputs from agencies)

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