In 2016Facebook launched live map functionality which displayed blue dots scattered around the world. When the user clicked on the dots, they were redirected to live videos.
However, several users recently noticed that the card simply disappeared and facebook watch – the video hub hosted by the social media giant – took its place.
An independent meteorologist, Timothy Ballisty, has also complained about the same who relied on live videos to assess the weather in various countries in real time. With the changed implementation, Ballisty struggles to find the live videos it’s looking for because it now has to follow a specific “weather-based” Facebook page instead of browsing the map.
Besides Ballisty, several users have turned to Facebook Help Forum and asked about the sudden disappearance of the live card. Many also suggested the idea of bringing back the old feature due to its workability.
The live video feature was launched to allow users to stream silly personal event stunts. However, the innocent tool has gradually become a place for depicting murders, suicides, and violent attacks which has led regulators to step up scrutiny of the feature.
Facebook has also been facing allegations for the same thing for many years. However, the problem escalated after a terrorist suspect used Facebook Live to broadcast the mass shooting at mosques in New Zealand.
When contacted, The Facebook spokesperson claimed that the feature was closed in order to consolidate the video pages. She also added that the live map had “low” usage but declined to provide relevant statistics. She further stated that the feature was not discontinued for privacy reasons.
Other social media companies like Twitter and Snapchat have also implemented cards to make it easier to discover live videos. YouTube also brags a dedicated channel to discover live videos but does not display them on the map.
However, Facebook is a major platform with over 2.375 billion monthly logins and sifting through the outlandish amount of offensive content on the site is a difficult task.
Research analysts also approved of Facebook’s decision to remove the map feature, as it made them more vulnerable to abuse.
The live video card feature was launched for desktop users in 2016. It received mixed reactions from users who found the experience to be both – cool and weird at the same time. Indeed, any user can access “public” live videos by simply pointing to a specific location and see compelling videos of their personal events. However, it could also lead to potential harassment and abuse.
Last December, the tech giant announced plans to ‘Build intelligence for conversations, community and connections‘ but didn’t mention removing live video cards.
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