MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2019) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday an investment that would help the nation to double its investigative and prevention activities to counter harmful digital content online in the wake of the deadly Christchurch mosque shootings.
"The cabinet has now approved an investment to double the investigative, forensic, intelligence and prevention work of the Department of Internal Affairs," Ardern said, while announcing the allocation of 17 million New Zealand Dollars ($10.7 million) over four years to more effectively track down "harmful content on digital channels."
On March 15, New Zealand was rocked by two mass shootings at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch. The tragedy left 51 people dead and another 50 injured.
The attacker, Brenton Tarrant, 28, from Australia, live-streamed the massacre on Facebook, with the video subsequently spread on other digital platforms.
In the wake of the attack, over 50 companies and countries have joined the Christchurch Call, a global initiative promoted by Ardern to eliminate terrorist and extremist content online.
