Twitch, Discord issue statements following Buffalo mass shooting
Services used in planning and broadcast of attack.
Twitch and Discord have issued statements following the deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York at the weekend, which is being investigated as a racially-motivated attack.
10 people died and three more were injured in the shooting, all but two of whom were African-American.
The perpetrator, an 18-year-old white man, livestreamed the attack on Twitch, and planned it via a private server on Discord.
In a statement to CNN, Twitch said it identified and removed the stream in less than two minutes.
The incident follows other livestreamed atrocities, such as the murders of 51 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019, broadcast on Facebook, and the Twitch-streamed shootings in October 2019 surrounding a German synagogue.
"Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents," the company said in a statement to The New York Times. "The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content."
Discord has said it is investigating posts made by the perpetrator, which allegedly include detailed plans for the shooting, days before it took place.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families, and we will do everything we can to assist law enforcement in the investigation," Discord said.
Eurogamer has contacted Twitch and Discord for further comment.