Protecting the Internet After Christchurch: Far Easier Said Than Done

By Matthew Feeney Matthew Feeney

Last week a man in Christchurch, New Zealand filmed himself
murdering 50 Muslims at their places of worship. Daoud Nabi, an
Afghan who fled to New Zealand to escape the Soviet-Afghan
war, greeted the shooter saying, “Hello, brother,” before the
shooter murdered him. The shooter’s livestream cut out after he conducted his slaughter inside
the Al Noor Mosque and before he continued his rampage at the
Linwood Islamic Centre.

Since the shooting, there have been calls for internet giants to
do something to address the spread of graphic content. Anyone with
an ounce of sympathy understands these calls, but we should keep in
mind the difficulties associated with content moderation and the
risks of crackdowns on particular kinds of content.

The scale of last week’s attack may be difficult for many
Americans to appreciate at first glance. New Zealand is a small
country, about the same size as Colorado with a population a little
higher than Louisiana’s. It’s also a country with a strong outdoor
culture. As the son of a New Zealander, I grew up with stories of
my father and his brothers playing rugby, spear-fishing, and rabbit
hunting. On recent trips to New Zealand, I’ve shot handguns and
semi-automatic rifles at a gun club. There are about three …Read the Rest

Source:: Cato Institute