Gaming - News
Twitch and Discord Are Officially Under Investigation
By Nicholas Wilson
After the tragic events of the May 14th Buffalo supermarket shooting, a spotlight was put onto the suspect’s internet presence, as he had allegedly planned the shooting for months on Discord and publicly streamed it on Twitch. The 20-or-so viewers who watched his Twitch stream likely got there by clicking on an advertisement on his Discord server.
Both companies have released statements which condemn the actions of the shooter and have pledged to work alongside law enforcement in the future. However, Twitch, Discord, and other social media sites are going to be investigated for their use in the attack.
On May 18th, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office would be investigating every social media platform that was utilized in the attack. The attorney general also cited the Mosque shooting in New Zealand as a precedent for social media playing a hand in shootings.
The Attorney General also explained, "We are doing everything in our power to stop this dangerous behavior now and ensure it never happens again." How exactly the investigation will be conducted is yet to be seen, but investigating social media companies is perfectly legal when public safety is a concern.
