Facebook is the largest social network on the planet and the sheer volume of posts, photos, and videos means that, inevitably, some really horrible stuff is going to make it past the company’s watchful eye. That being said, the number of really, really gruesome videos that have popped up on the site recently — and that have remained viewable for hours and in some cases days — is clearly unacceptable to both the general public and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In a lengthy blog post today, Zuckerberg expressed his displeasure with the trend and announced that he’s going to pay 3,000 more people to constantly sift through both live and recorded videos in search of the worst of the worst.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook — either live or in video posted later,” Zuckerberg begins his post. “It’s heartbreaking, and I’ve been reflecting on how we can do better for our community.”
After taking some time to think of a solution, Zuckerberg decided he needs more hands on deck. The 3,000 new content cops will join the already impressively large team of 4,500 reviewers to review reports of content that users flag as being against the site’s terms of use. These include videos depicting physical violence and harassment, suicide, and (obviously) murder.
The CEO also revealed that new tools are on the way for users which will make it easier to report violations of the site’s rules, and will in turn result in more rapid response and, if need be, faster notification of law enforcement when a person is in danger. “As these become available they should help make our community safer,” Zuckerberg says.
