NY to Investigate Social Media After Buffalo Shooting

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) will probe social media companies about Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, her office said Wednesday. James will investigate how the shooter used social media “to discuss and amplify his intentions and acts to carry out this attack,” with a focus on “platforms that may have been used to stream, promote, or plan the event, including but not limited to” Amazon’s Twitch, 4chan, 8chan and Discord, the AG office said. “That an individual can post detailed plans to commit such an act of hate without consequence, and then stream it for the world to see is bone-chilling and unfathomable,” said James. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) asked James to investigate. “We need to respect individual First Amendment rights, but when individuals use online platforms to promote and plan violence, it raises questions about the role of social media platforms in the promotion of the violence,” the governor said.