Facebook restricts livestreaming

Facebook will start restricting the use of its livestreaming feature for users who violate its content policies in a new shift that comes in response to the mosque attacks in New Zealand earlier this year that were livestreamed and quickly spread across social media.

The company announced in a blog post on Tuesday that users who break rules involving terrorism, hate speech and violence will not be allowed to use Facebook Live for a certain amount of time.

“For instance, someone who shares a link to a statement from a terrorist group with no context will now be immediately blocked from using Live for a set period of time,” Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of integrity, wrote in the post. “We plan on extending these restrictions to other areas over the coming weeks, beginning with preventing those same people from creating ads on Facebook.”

The social media company has struggled to respond to the withering criticism from New Zealand officials after the shooter broadcasted the attack that left 50 people dead.