Valve Purges Steam of Homages to Christchurch Terrorist

Valve does not comment on the actions of users, but removes all forms of approval towards terrorism.

Valve removed more than a hundred different forms of recognition and approval for the perpetrator of the terrorist attack in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, who attacked two mosques, killing a total of fifty people. According to Kotaku, in the days following the incident, Steam has seen an outbreak of fake accounts named after the terrorist, with his photo in the avatar, and one of them has even included a GIF file with a recording of the shooting.

A phenomenon, which has been known for a long time

At first, 66 profiles were found using the image of the terrorist, but over time the figure has grown to more than a hundred. After Valve was asked to make a comment on the case, all discovered materials related to the latest events were removed, but new ones just keep on appearing. Kotaku also points to the fact that paying homage to terrorists on Steam is quite common and one can find hundreds of pages and profiles that are somehow linked to the criminals of the Charleston, Isla Vista or the Norwegian island of Utoya massacres. Valve has yet to comment on the situation.

The whole situation is additionally complicated by the fact that the assailant streamed the entire incident online. Therefore, many organizations are trying to contain the online distribution of the footage recorded during the tragic events. Measures have been taken by YouTube, among others, and Reddit blocked the sub-forum called r/watchpeopledie where you could find a variety of radical materials. SKY New Zealand also took decisive action, blocking subsidiary station SKY News Australia on the territory of the country, after is released a video from the shooting.