Facebook, Twitter and TikTok Are Working Hard To Remove Shinzo Abe Shooting Video

JAKARTA - A number of social media companies including Twitter and Meta (Facebook) are still deleting videos on their platforms about the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to an Associated Press report released on July 8, the removal follows a violation of rules regarding harmful content on those social media platforms.

Several videos of the attack by a gunman firing his homemade double-barreled gun at Abe circulated on social media last Friday.

Some only show the moments before and after the attack, while others show both shots.

Abe, who resigned in 2020, was shot during a speech. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was soon pronounced dead. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene.

Twitter said its enforcement team was working to address malicious content related to the attack by proactively removing material that violated the platform's rules, which include restrictions on sensitive media including graphic violence.

Twitter urged users to flag potentially sensitive material from the attack so they can take action. Video of the attack can still be found easily on Twitter hours after the attack.

Meta said it had removed the video depicting the moment of the attack and had deactivated the suspect's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

"We are deeply saddened and shocked by the passing of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. We do not and will not tolerate any violent behavior on our platform. To keep our platform safe to connect with, we are working to remove any infringing content related to the incident. ," Meta said in a statement quoted from Antara, Sunday, July 10.

Meanwhile, YouTube said its system featured videos related to the attack from "authoritative sources" such as news organizations, the video-sharing site said, adding that it would remove any content that violated its rules, including bans on violent or graphic content.

On the other hand, TikTok said it is working to quickly "identify the content, accounts and hashtags associated with this tragic incident" and remove any content and accounts that violate its rules.