The parent company of Twitter and Facebook, Meta, announced Friday that both social media platforms will remove any videos of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that violate their rules on harmful content.
Several videos of the attack circulated on social media showing a gunman firing a double-barreled gun twice in Abe’s direction. Some only showed the moments before and after the attack, while others showed both shots.
Abe, who resigned in 2020, was shot while giving a speech, was airlifted to hospital and later pronounced dead. Police arrested the suspected assailant at the scene.
Meta said it was removing videos showing 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, Mr. Shinzo Abe,” Meta said in a statement.
“We do not and will not tolerate any violent behavior on our platform. To keep our platform a safe place to connect, we are working to remove any violating content related to the incident,” he stated.
Meta added that it took action under its dangerous people policy and is labeling photos of the attack as “disturbing.”
Twitter said its enforcement teams were working to “address harmful content” related to the attack and “proactively remove” material that violates its rules, which include restrictions on sensitive content such as explicit violence.
Twitter urged users to report any material from the Abe hack that they think should be treated as sensitive so that it can take action on it.