Facebook says it is more aggressively enforcing content rules

Facebook, facing withering criticism from governments around the world, said Thursday it has been more aggressive in recent months about scrubbing its platform of hate speech.

In a report the company releases biannually, Facebook also said its automated detection software that eliminates illicit content is improving: It now automatically detects and removes more than half of the hate speech on its platform.

Regulators have expressed renewed interest in cracking down on Facebook after a mass shooter in Christchurch, New Zealand, livestreamed the killings on his Facebook account. The video was viewed just 4,000 times before Facebook removed it, but it spread rapidly across the internet and was reposted millions of times.