Facebook Live Killings Essay

Introduction

Facebook is an online social networking platform founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. Since its creation, it has garnered almost two billion users across the globe (Newcomb, 1). Facebook is geared towards bringing the world together as it embarks on improved features to foster increased connectivity and sharing of content. Facebook Live, for instance, is a feature that was created to help users share their heartwarming moments in life by broadcasting videos using smartphones and personal computers. People using Facebook Live instantly stream videos live and interact with their friends and followers in real-time. Therefore, the feature is an amazing platform for individuals and businesses to connect with followers and grow their target audience. According to Newcomb, the live feature initially targeted celebrities and public figures (1). However, Facebook Live has attracted most of the users of the site irrespective of their background and social status. Unfortunately, Facebook Live has been plagued with the broadcast of negative viral videos contrary to the policies of the society and that of the social media's giant, Facebook. Criminals have taken advantage of the feature to broadcast live murders, suicide, and other violent crimes. For example, Steve Stephens, a 37-year old male broadcasted a live video killing 74-year old Robert Goodwin by shooting him at close range in Cleveland, Ohio (Newcomb, 1). These crimes question Facebook's role in crime prevention and detection.

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Does Facebook Have a Legal or Ethical Duty to Rescue a Crime Victim?

The killing of Robert Goodwin, a 74-year old man on the walkway by Steve Stephens outraged the country leading to a backlash against Facebook (Newcomb, 1). Facebook spent years encouraging the sharing of videos and pictures online. However, criminal acts have become rampant across social media platforms. Steve Stephens streamed his intentions to kill on Facebook Live and later committed the crime in live video. It took two hours for the suspect's account to be disabled after first publishing the video on intent to kill. The act placed Facebook on a tight spot on what the company can do in policing content. Facebook's social media outlets are not crime-fighting outfits created to deter criminal behavior. As a result, Facebook has no legal obligation to rescue a victim of crime (Seetharaman, 2). Facebook is not accountable for crimes committed on its platform. Perpetrators of the crime are accountable to their actions and should be held responsible under the law.

However, I believe Facebook is morally and ethically obligated to help in policing content on its global platform. Although the company has cooperated with law enforcement agencies to solve crimes streamed on its platform, it has not done enough. According to Justin Osofsky, the company's vice president of global operations, Facebook needs to do better in crime prevention and reviewing the flows in its reporting procedure (Newcomb, 1). Facebook lacks effective technology to filter offensive content before publishing and human intervention. The system relies on users to flag and reports content that violates community standards upon which the call team takes action to remove the offense from its network (Seetharaman, 2). Facebook should invest in artificial intelligence and better algorithms that detect negative actions and report to the nearest law enforcement agencies for intervention. As such, Facebook is ethically responsible for detecting, preventing, and reporting crime and other offensive posts to the police.

Ways Social Media Platforms Can Be More Proactive in Reviewing Published Content

Social media platforms like Facebook should be very proactive in reviewing contents that appear on their sites due to rising cases of crime, terrorism, racism, and rape in live videos. These sites should put in place review teams across the world to tackle the heavy load of content published online. Therefore, before users upload content online, it should be filtered by review teams, especially for live streaming. Another option is to integrate artificial intelligence using high-end algorithms that filter, review, block, and even erase offensive content. For example, Facebook announced on April 2017 that it was using photo-matching technologies to prevent the spread of negative revenge content on its platforms (Newcomb, 1). Such initiatives are strides towards being proactive in reviewing content to prevent the sharing of criminal behavior that could foster the spread of violence. Finally, in case of live postings, there should be a lag or delay in broadcasts to help review teams and the filtering technology establish the type of posting. A delay would help in the efficient scrutiny of live content.

Safeguards

Traditionally, social media companies have relied on users to flag criminal behavior and file a formal complaint. Given the number of social media posts and how quickly they spread, hiring more content review teams will not solve the problem. Facebook should develop a more advanced AI technology that does not require human intervention. Even though Facebook is getting smarter, the current system depends on human input. After Stephen's murder incident, it took twenty minutes to disable his account after the violence was reported (Newcomb, 1). Therefore, Facebook should invest in text, video, and image mining technology that uses machine learning algorithms to detect and curb the spread of violent and criminal digital content. Another safeguard that Facebook should put in place carrying out global awareness campaigns against criminal behavior. People should be made aware that the platform exists to connect people and foster communal living across the globe. Coupled with this initiative, content supervisors should be on high alert reviewing posts 24/7. There should be a toll-free hotline to reach staff with no delay.

Oversight Committee

Facebook lucks an Oversight Committee or Ethics Officer which is a huge setback given that the company has policies on community standards. Due to the surge of negative content published on Facebook Live, Messenger, and Instagram, an Oversight Committee led by a chief ethicist is important in spearheading moral decisions. Furthermore, as the company progresses to the full adoption of AI technology, the Ethics Officer should address the ethical issues surrounding image mapping, text, and video mining to avoid breaching the privacy of its users. The chief ethicist would ensure that the company makes critical and informed decisions while addressing ethical implications. Similarly, by forming an Oversight Committee, Facebook would manage to enforce ethical guidelines and regulations according to the community standards. Similarly, the committee would investigate and make resolutions on ethical complaints.

Ethical Use Proposal

Facebook should ensure that users adhere to its ethical standards in the process of creating an account. The terms of use and ethical policy should be well articulated so that if a user breaches the regulations, they are blocked or even banned from live streaming. Facebook should also ensure that it frequently audits user accounts and cancel those that are deemed unethical or that breach the community standards.

Conclusion

Facebook is a social media giant with a global user base. However, its creation of improved global connectivity is plagued by the live broadcast of violent crimes. However, Facebook does not have a legal obligation to deter criminal behavior but it has an ethical mandate to act upon violent posts. The company should ensure it invests in AI technology, have a chief ethicist, and oversight committee as well as partner with law enforcers to deter criminal behavior.

Sources

Alyssa Newcomb. 2017. Facebook has a Unique Challenge in Policing Depraved Videos. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/cleveland-shooting-highlights-facebook-s-responsibility-policing-depraved-videos-n747306

Deepa Seetharaman. 2017. Cleveland Murder Video Forces Scrutiny at Facebook. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cleveland-murder-video-raises-pressure-on-facebook-to-better-monitor-content-1492448639