EXTREMISMBuffalo Attack Footage Spread Quickly Across Platforms, Has Been Online for Days

Published 23 May 2022

The livestream of the accused Buffalo shooter’s deadly attack at a Buffalo supermarket was available briefly via Twitch, but the footage spread quickly across online platforms, and remains online for public consumption.

The livestream of the accused Buffalo shooter’s  deadly May 14, 2022, attack at a Buffalo supermarket was available briefly via Twitch, but the footage spread quickly across online platforms, and remains online for public consumption.

Five full days after the shooting rampage, the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) was able to find the footage on platforms as diverse as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Telegram, Bitchute and Gab. Framing and characterization of the videos varied widely between platforms and users, and although many posters did not use the footage to explicitly promote or applaud extremist beliefs, the proliferation of this extremist violent content creates a dangerous online environment, normalizes violence, and has the potential to inspire future violence. Sharing this violent footage debases the memory of the victims.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit and YouTube
The most common iteration of footage is video directly uploaded to the platform itself. These videos and video excerpts, often accompanied by some form of commentary from the poster, were found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit and Telegram. In some cases, the post includes language critical of the shooter, but this does little to mitigate the potential damage caused by the video itself and creates opportunity for others to use the content for nefarious purposes.

Footage of the attack has also been indirectly distributed across platforms via posts with links to websites hosting the video clips.  The COE has found that these indirect social media posts can be used to promote hate and disinformation on mainstream platforms without directly violating that platform’s content policies.

Instances in which users shared links to other websites containing the attack footage were found on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit. For example:

·  A YouTube video was uploaded that directed users to a Bitchute video.

·  Several posts across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit claimed users could watch footage of the incident by clicking on their link, following their private account or emailing a personal email address.

Content on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provided direct footage of the incident. Several posts highlighted aspects of the shooting, like how the shooter appeared to spare the life of a man because he was white.