Slain reporter’s father calls for action against Facebook over video of daughter’s death

The family of a slain journalist is asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action against Facebook for not removing online footage of the reporter’s death.

Andy Parker, whose daughter Alison Parker was shot and killed while reporting in 2015, is alleging in a complaint to be filed Tuesday that Facebook is violating its own terms of service by hosting videos on its platform and on Instagram that promote violence, The Associated Press reported.

Parker, a TV news reporter, was killed alongside cameraman Adam Ward by a former co-worker while reporting for WDBJ in Roanoke, Va. Footage of the shooting still resurfaces on Facebook and Instagram despite assurances from top Facebook executives that it will be removed, according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleges that Facebook is engaging in deceptive trade practices by violating its own terms of service and misrepresenting the safety of the platform.

“The reality is that Facebook and Instagram put the onus on victims and their families to do the policing of graphic content — requiring them to relive their worst moments over and over to curb the proliferation of these videos,” the complaint says, according to the AP.

The Hill has reached out to Facebook and the FTC for comment.

Andy Parker said during a press conference announcing the FTC complaint that he also wants to see congressional action, adding that he agrees with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen on the need to take away liability protections granted to Facebook and other online companies under a 1996 law.

Parker has worked with Georgetown Law’s Civil Rights Clinic to file similar FTC complaints against YouTube and its parent company, Google.