While reporting live on CBS affiliate WDBJ in August 2015, Alison Parker and Adam Ward were murdered by a former co-worker during a morning broadcast.
Live footage of the morning broadcast and the killer’s own recorded video have circulated online since. Andy Parker, Alison’s father, has been vocal about the damaging impact that this footage has had on his family, including during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Parker submitted complaints to the Federal Trade Commission in March 2020 and October 2021. He requested a Section 5 investigation of deceptive practices in connection with YouTube and Meta (then Facebook). His complaints argue that YouTube and Meta have failed to enforce their terms of service by neglecting to remove videos of the murders from their platforms. Section 5 of the FTC Act prohibits ”unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce,” with a deceptive act defined as one that misleads or is likely to mislead a consumer acting reasonably.
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia wrote to FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan today urging the Commission to take action against Google and Meta over their failure to remove graphic videos depicting the murders on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
“I am deeply troubled by this response, as the burden of finding and removing harmful content should not fall to victims’ families who are grieving their loved ones,” Warner wrote. “This approach only serves to retraumatize them and inflict additional pain. Instead, I firmly believe that the responsibility lies solely with the platform to ensure that any content violating its own Terms of Service is removed expeditiously.”
Warner, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is one of Congress’ leading voices in demanding accountability and user protections from social media companies and has previously pressed Meta on Facebook’s role in inciting violence around the world.
“It has been over three years since Mr. Parker and the Georgetown University Law Clinic filed their first complaint regarding this case, and Mr. Parker continues to endure harassment as a result of the videos remaining on these platforms. Given the practices outlined above, I ask that your agency consider all possible avenues to ensure that companies like Google and Meta uphold their Terms of Service, not only in Mr. Parker’s case but also in other instances where their platforms may host violent and harmful content,” Warner wrote.
Share
Rebecca Barnabi
