Why Won't Tech Companies Stop Violent Videos From Circulating The Web?

We have the technology to remove footage of violent events from circulation, even if the videos are edited, but tech companies aren't willing to do it. A UC Berkeley computer science professor explains why.

The Lede

In the aftermath of events like the recent shooting in Buffalo, NY, graphic videos of the violence often end up online. Through a technology called "hashing," tech companies can assign a unique digital signature to a video so that it can automatically be taken down when shared — even if the video is modified. Hany Farid, a UC Berkeley computer science professor, explains why this isn't happening.

Key Details

• The main technological obstacle in the way of this hashing is "the resilience to modification," says Farid. "[The companies'] hashing is just not resilient enough."
• As to why companies won't work on it, Farid says, "It's a problem of collaboration... Companies are not motivated to fix the problem."
• For tech companies, the consequences of the videos are mild. "They get bad press for a couple of days," Farid says. "If there was a hundred-billion-dollar lawsuit, I think that would get their attention."

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