OpenAI’s ban of Canada school shooting suspect’s account raises scrutiny of other online activity
OpenAI’s ban of Canada school shooting suspect’s account raises scrutiny of other online activity
https://www.aol.com/articles/openais-ban-canada-school-shooters-110849179.html
Publish Date: 2026-02-28 06:11:00
Source Domain: www.aol.com
By Maria Cheng and Ryan Patrick Jones
OTTAWA, Feb 25 (Reuters) – OpenAI’s admission that it banned the ChatGPT account of mass shooting suspect Jesse Van Rootselaar months before the 18-year-old allegedly killed eight people and herself is drawing scrutiny to her past online activity and raising questions about whether opportunities were missed to prevent one of Canada’s worst mass killings.
OpenAI’s decision not to report Van Rootselaar to police prompted Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon to summon company officials to Ottawa this week and demand new safety measures from the company.
The shooting in the British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge is the latest tragedy in which critics have argued interactions with chatbots may have forewarned of or even encouraged violence.
Crime experts noted that while greater scrutiny of AI platforms and social media is necessary, police or other authorities may have missed additional chances to avert the tragedy. Police had previously removed guns from Van Rootselaar’s home, though they were later returned. Police also said they were aware of her history of mental health issues.
SHOOTING STARTED WITH SUSPECT’S FAMILY
Police say Van Rootselaar began the attack by killing her mother and sibling at home, before shooting dead an educator and five students, while two others were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the investigation is still active and some questions are subject to relevant legislation or court processes.
“This was clearly a household where there were many problems,” said Patrick Watson, a criminology professor at the University of Toronto unconnected to the case. “But we also need far more scrutiny of the companies who are creating these new platforms, which are essentially becoming a new public sphere with very little accountability.”
In a since-deleted Reddit post, Van Rootselaar said she had been diagnosed with numerous mental…
