Facebook killing video puts moderation policies under the microscope, again

Question of the social network's role in amplifying crime has intensified after it took several hours to remove a brutal video seen millions of times

"This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook."

The "content" the Facebook spokesperson was referring to was the apparent killing of 74-year-old grandfather Robert Godwin, shot at close range in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon as he walked home from an Easter meal with his family. Godwin's suspected attacker, 37-year-old Steve Stephens, filmed a first-person view of the shooting and uploaded it to his Facebook page, where it remained for more than two hours before being taken down - not before the video had been copied, reposted and viewed millions of times.