Twitch apologizes for live stream of Germany shooting

"Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against hateful conduct, and any act of violence is taken extremely seriously," Twitch tweeted.

OCTOBER 10, 2019 21:24

A view of the synagogue in Halle, Germany October 10, 2019, after two people were killed in a shooting (photo credit: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH) — A view of the synagogue in Halle, Germany October 10, 2019, after two people were killed in a shooting

(photo credit: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH)

The popular Amazon-owned streaming service Twitch apologized on Wednesday after a video of the shooting attack in Germany was live streamed and then posted on its website.

"Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against hateful conduct, and any act of violence is taken extremely seriously," Twitch tweeted. "We worked with urgency to remove this content and will permanently suspend any accounts found to be posting or reposting content of this abhorrent act."

Twitch said that the video did not appear on any recommendations, but "people were coordinating and sharing the video via other online messaging services."

"The account owner streamed this horrific act live on Twitch for 35 minutes, during which time it was viewed by approximately five people. A recording of the stream, which was automatically generated based on the account’s settings, was viewed by approximately 2200 people in the 30 minutes before the video was flagged and removed from Twitch."

The account that posted the video was about two months old and had attempted to stream once before, according to Twitch.

Two people were killed in the shooting attack near a synagogue in Halle, Germany on Wednesday, which was Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday during which Jews fast and atone for their sins.

World leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, quickly condemned the attacks.

More people watch live streams on Twitch than other platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, according to The New York Times.

This is not the first time a Twitch live stream has shown a shooting. In 2018, during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, a Twitch live stream of the tournament showed a shooting that left two victims and the shooter dead.

Twitch tweeted its sympathies to the families of the Jacksonville shooting victims.

Stay updated with the latest news!

Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter

Subscribe Now

"We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today."

We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today. Twitch and all its staff send our deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones, and everyone in our community who's grieving today.
— Twitch (@Twitch) August 26, 2018

Following the live streaming of the shooting in Germany, Twitch said it is working with "industry peers, law enforcement, and any relevant parties" on the issue.

Read Twitch's full Twitter thread:

We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Germany today, and our deepest condolences go out to all those affected.
— Twitch (@Twitch) October 9, 2019