In a declaration to the public, Facebook stated that it's profoundly disheartened by the series of events that have occurred on its website that have resulted in suicide. The social media giant announced that it thinks about the well-being of its users, and feels the need to assist those individuals in trouble. It also said that in situations where somebody posts about suicide or self-harm, it needs to make sure that the person’s loved ones can offer proper care that will stop them. The social platform noted that its company apparatus provides assets to help somebody connect on Facebook to a companion who might have internal struggles.
Facebook also said it provides support groups to individuals who feel as if they are contemplating suicide.
The company pledged that it will keep working with specialists and associations around the globe to aid in making all individuals feel welcome and supported on its site.
Deadly occurrence down south
Another person, this time a man from Alabama, committed suicide and live-streamed it on Facebook. This trend concerns national law enforcement. Federal authorities believe people might continue to kill themselves along these lines unless the web-based network figures out how to stop or conduct surveillance on these kinds of activities going on within their social media platform.
The Sheriff’s Department in Baldwin County found themselves alarmed last Tuesday when a female contacted them stating that her companion thought of hurting himself.
As police made their way to the man’s location, emergency dispatchers started getting phone calls from people saying they just witnessed a live-stream of a man killing himself on Facebook. By the time they arrived on the scene, law enforcement agents found James M. Jeffrey, 49, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
Law enforcement speaks out
Anthony Lowery, a chief deputy for Baldwin County’s Sheriff's Office, said more than 1,000 people viewed the man’s suicide on social media and even shared the video several times. In a press conference with USA Today, Lowery stated that the situation was the first occurrence for his police department.
He noted that people are beginning to post their suicides on social media on a frequent basis. Lowery mentioned that not only are they killing themselves but they're also victimizing thousands of people all over the world.
Previous instances
Facebook did not reveal the actual number of individuals who killed themselves on their live-stream. Media reports only show a few occurrences. Back in January, a teenaged girl hung herself in Florida after being placed in foster care.
In another instance, a male, 33-years-old, shot himself in a vehicle located on the side of the road in Los Angeles, CA.
A young man from Turkey who broke up with his girlfriend shortly before killing himself stated on Facebook Live back in October, “No one cared to acknowledge when I said I will execute myself.
So, watch what I do now.”
A month ago, Facebook declared that it would incorporate measures into Facebook Live. It likewise said it would offer live support from crisis lines like the Crisis Text Line and National Suicide Prevention. The support groups will be made available through Facebook Messenger, making it less demanding to report suicide or self-harm. Facebook is trying computerized reasoning to recognize signs based off of what people post and comment on while logged in to the platform.
