Silke Jasso
Live from Facebook, users have been seeing a wide array of crimes streaming from Chicago including murders and gang rapes, but community activists met with corporation officials Thursday to discuss a more aggressive monitoring system.
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Facebook Live was launched on April 6 of last year in an effort to “create new opportunities for people to come together,” according to a post by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg the day the new feature was launched. Since then, several gruesome crimes across the nation have been live streamed attracting several uses as they witness these acts.
RELATED: Another atrocity has been committed in Chicago on Facebook Live — this time it went unreported
As a result of this, Facebook officials are trying to take new steps to protect users and help alert the police to any crimes that may go live on the site. Thursday’s meeting was a result of Rev. Jesse Jackson and Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin calling for a 30-day shutdown of Live after a murder last month was streamed to the public, according to USA Today.
“We know we have a lot of work to do to keep senseless violence off our platform and we appreciate the discussion today about how to work together to achieve that goal,” Facebook said in a statement, according to USA Today.
Rev. Jackson spoke at the meeting about the tragic nature of crimes going viral and how Facebook Live is contributing to that and should be making monitoring changes. Boykin also spoke at the meeting and said the responsibility is two-fold, not just falling on Facebook, but also on the public’s lack of action when they see crimes on Live, according to CBS Chicago.
On their part, Facebook will be making an additional 3,000 hires this week alone to help monitor the content posted on Live. There is also talk of adding an emergency 911 button to live streams for viewers to alert staff and authorities of criminal content.
RELATED: Chicago police make an arrest in the brutal sexual assault that was streamed on Facebook Live
“It is a step in the right direction,” Rev. Jackson told CBS Chicago. “But that may not be enough, we don’t know.”
Facebook officials are set to meet in Chicago next month for a follow up and to further discuss ways to prevent live streams of violent acts.
