Can Facebook combat violence and suicides being streamed on live video by adding more employees?
MENLO PARK — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that the tech firm will be adding 3,000 workers to its workforce over the next year to review posts more quickly that run afoul of the social network’s rules such as violence, hate speech and child exploitation.
The new employees will be part of the tech firm’s community operations team, which is currently made up of 4,500 employees.
With 1.9 billion users, the company has been grappling with suicides, crime and other violence being streamed live or posted later in videos.
Last week, a man in Thailand streamed the killing of his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook Live before taking his own life.
That same week, Alabama man James Jeffrey who was in the middle of a breakup with his girlfriend also shot himself in the head with a rifle on Facebook Live.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook — either live or in video posted later. It’s heartbreaking, and I’ ve been reflecting on how we can do better for our community, ” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
Facebook is working on ways to make videos easier to report, he said, along with adding more workers and talking to community groups and law enforcement.
The tech firm received a report last week that someone on Facebook Live was considering suicide. It reached out to police and they prevented the person from hurting himself.
But in other cases, it’s taken Facebook hours to remove a live video that included violence.
In April, Facebook said it was reviewing how users report videos after Ohio man Steve Stephens posted a video of him fatally shooting Robert Godwin Sr. The shooter then confessed to the crime on live video and took his own life after a brief police chase.
It took more than two hours for Facebook to disable Stephens’ social media account, but it also took a while before the videos were reported.
In March, the tech firm released new tools so users can report a video in which someone is live-streaming a suicide attempt or self-injury. Users are able to reach out to the person directly, and Facebook says the person streaming the video will see options to contact a help line, reach out to a friend or view tips.
“If we’ re going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly, ” Zuckerberg said. “We’ re working to make these videos easier to report so we can take the right action sooner — whether that’s responding quickly when someone needs help or taking a post down.”
The tech firm has been adding thousands of employees to its workforce every year as the social network grows.
In December, Facebook grew its workforce to 17,048 employees worldwide, adding 4,357 employees compared to the same period in 2015. The company is scheduled to release its first quarter earnings after the market closes this afternoon.
Check back for updates.
