YouTube, Twitch, Meta, and X have not disclosed whether they would permit the US government to livestream an execution on their platforms. The four companies did not respond to Techgeeks’ requests for comment following an anonymous Pentagon official’s statement yesterday that the execution of Nidal Hasan — convicted of a 2009 mass shooting at a Texas military base — would be livestreamed.
Kick and TikTok stated that streaming an execution would violate their policies.
Two platforms responded to Techgeeks’ inquiries. Jamie Favazza, a spokesperson for TikTok’s US operations, referenced the platform’s policies prohibiting “shocking and graphic content,” including “the moment of someone’s death.” Kick, a platform recognized for its minimal content moderation approach, confirmed that such a livestream would violate its policies.
“If this was livestreamed on KICK, it would breach our Community Guidelines,” Kick spokesperson Audrey FitzGerald stated in an emailed response to Techgeeks.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3rd at 2 PM ET. While YouTube, Meta, and Twitch’s community guidelines indicate that this type of content would not be permitted on their platforms, it remains unclear whether they would make an exception for the US government.
Meta, Twitch, and X’s community guidelines explicitly prohibit violent content involving death, while YouTube bans content that “encourages dangerous or illegal activities that risk serious physical harm or death.” YouTube also states that livestreams “featuring someone holding or handling a firearm” are not allowed.
Rumble, a video platform known for hosting right-wing influencers, also did not respond to a request for comment.