Christchurch terror attack: Facebook looking into restrictions on livestreaming

Facebook has announced it is considering changes to its livestreaming service in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.

Chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said in a blog on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, they're considering restricting who can access service, depending on factors such as previous violations of the site's community standards.

Facebook is also looking into new technology to quickly identify edited versions of violent videos and take them down.

More than 900 different videos showing portions of the Christchurch shooting have been identified so far.

"People with bad intentions will always try to get around our security measures. That's why we must work to continually stay ahead," Sandberg said.

Fifty people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside the Linwood Ave and Deans Ave mosques on Friday, March 15. He livestreamed the attack for 17 minutes, during which time no one reported it to either Facebook or the police.

Facebook was criticised in the wake of the shooting, both for allowing the video to spread and for hateful rhetoric to be shared.

Sandberg said Facebook will also be addressing hate on the platform and working with the New Zealand community on the response to the attack.

"We know there is more work to do. We are deeply committed to strengthening our policies, improving our technology and working with experts to keep Facebook safe."

Facebook announced a ban on white nationalist and separatist content on Thursday.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is yet to comment on the attacks. Sandberg is the first senior Facebook official to speak out about it, two weeks later.

Newshub.