Backed by local officials, Rev. Jesse Jackson held a press conference out front the Facebook offices in Chicago on Friday [April 21], where they called for the social media corporation to shut down it's FB Live feature for 30 days.

Facebook Live has drawn an increasing number of critics since it's release to the public in 2016. What had initially operated as a streaming option available to celebrities and journalists in August of 2015, showed immediate promise as soon as the public was able to freely exploit the feature the following February. But the streams soon became a cause for alarm over the amount of graphic content that was appearing on the network as a result.

The outcry over Facebook's failure to address policy violations of its live streaming function reached it's peak last week, when the recorded murder of Robert Godwin Sr., as posted by Cleveland shooter Steve Stephens, remained on the site for two hours to the objection of thousands. The Stephens case was cited by Jackson as an example of citizens too often selecting to use FB Live "as a platform to release their anger, their fears, and their foolishness." He is calling for a "time out" long enough to allow for the company's technicians to improve the streaming option so that it can more quickly identify and remove offensive and dangerous content.

"The moratorium is ... an opportunity for tech companies, elected officials, law enforcement, community-based organizations and civil rights advocates and others," Jackson said.

Source: usatoday.com