Christchurch mosque shootings: Facebook, Instagram share remembrance message for victims

When Kiwis woke up and went on social media this morning, they could have seen a remembrance message from Facebook and Instagram.

Today marks a week since a shooter attacked Muslims in two mosques in Christchurch, killing 50 and leaving many injured.

Users of the social media apps could have been greeted to a full-screen message, sharing a remembrance of those victims.

Users of the social media apps could have been greeted to a full-screen message, sharing a remembrance of those victims. Photo / Facebook

"Together in Tears, Together in Hope. In remembrance of every person lost in the Christchurch attacks. If you need support, call or text 1737."

The attached number is a 24/7 support service run by the Ministry of Health, that connects people with trained counsellors.

The message appears to be rolling out to users all across New Zealand, but some have not seen it yet.

Social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter have been heavily criticised for their slow response in regards to the livestream video of Friday's attack.

The video was continually shared on the social media platforms before they were able to shut it down.

Facebook said in statement that the shooter's livestream was viewed fewer than 200 times and was not reported until 12 minutes after the 17-minute broadcast ended. The company says the video was viewed about 4000 times in total before being removed.

The company also said that their artificial intelligence was part of the problem.

"While [AI's] effectiveness continues to improve, it is never going to be perfect," Facebook said in a statement on Thursday night.

"People will continue to be part of the equation, whether it's the people on our team who review content, or people who use our services and report content to us."