To expunge his daughter's murder from the Internet, a father created an NFT of the grisly video

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Andy Parker
@AndyParkerVA
My daughter’s murder is being exploited for profit. @GrayTelevision and their soulless corporate goons have the opportunity to do the right thing. They simply refuse.

I’m running for Congress to change these laws and protect families from our pain.

washingtonpost.com
To expunge his daughter’s murder from the Internet, a father created an NFT of the grisly video
7:56 AM · Feb 22, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/22/expunge-his-daughters-murder-internet-father-created-an-nft-grisly-video/

No paywall
https://archive.fo/dLIhg

It starts as a routine TV news segment: an interview with the head of the local chamber of commerce. Suddenly, a shot rings out, startling the two-person film crew. As a gunman enters off-camera, reporter Alison Parker reacts to the sound, her jaw dropping wide. A steady wave of shots roar as Parker screams. She runs, desperately, as the camera tumbles to the ground. The clip cuts: the final scene is the legs of the shooter as he advances.

The grisly 17-second clip was recorded by videographer Adam Ward on Aug. 26, 2015, as he and Parker were fatally shot by a disgruntled former colleague while reporting near Roanoke. Broadcast live, the horrifying footage quickly went viral, viewed millions of times on Facebook, YouTube and other sites. Six years later, it still gets tens of thousands of views, despite the efforts by Parker’s father, Andy, to eliminate the clips from the Internet.

Now, Andy Parker has transformed the clip of the killings into an NFT, or non-fungible token, in a complex and potentially futile bid to claim ownership over the videos — a tactic to use copyright to force Big Tech’s hand.

“This is the Hail Mary,” Parker said, an “act of desperation.”

While Facebook and YouTube say they have taken down thousands of clips of the murders, dozens have remained on the platforms. Through the years, Parker has deployed a range of strategies for erasing the stragglers, enlisting a fleet of allies to search and flag the videos and filing complaints with federal regulators. Last month, he launched a congressional campaign focused partly on holding social media companies accountable for the spread of harmful content on their sites.

*snip*

[SWBTATTReg]

1. An interesting way to get rid of garbage on the Internet, but I fear that a tool like this could

be used for nefarious purposes, that is, to get rid of 'good stuff'?