Platkin launches probe of Discord, Twitch role in Buffalo shooting

An investigation into two social media platforms, Discord and Twitch, will determine whether their failure to enforce polices that prohibit violent extremism and hateful content violated state consumer protection laws, acting New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced today.

Platkin wants the probe to determine if Discord and Twitch enforcement practices violated a state law that requires companies to keep their content moderation pledge – and if such a broken promise contributed to the kind of hateful conduct that led to a mass shooting in Buffalo earlier this month. 

“These social media platforms have enormous reach, especially with young people, and have shown themselves to be staging grounds for hateful and extremist content that may radicalize children and others,” Platkin stated.  “New Jersey has a substantial interest in investigating how these companies moderate and prohibit content that may harm consumers.

The alleged shooter, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, livestreamed an attack at a supermarket in a mostly-Black Buffalo neighborhood.

Platkin’s investigation will determine if Discord and Twitch permitted their platforms to serve as hubs for extremist communities, and as an access point for children to connect with extremists.

“Companies cannot advertise that they will do one thing, then do another,” said  the acting director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Cari Fais.  “If these platforms represent that they will proactively moderate or prohibit violent extremism and hate, and then let it flourish unchecked with potentially harmful or even deadly consequences, it is unlawful.”