The deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend highlighted the hateful way some people use social media.
According to authorities, the shooter posted threatening messages about Jews on the website Gab.com.
NBC News reported Gab.com is since offline.
Erik Ugland, an associate professor at Marquette University's Diedrich College of Communications, said social media has given the general public a way to quickly communicate messages seen by large numbers of people. That includes hateful speech.
"There's a possibility now for anybody with an abhorrent idea to get their voice heard," Ugland said.
He added the first amendment prohibits the government from suppressing hateful speech if it's directed at a broad group of people or religion.
"It's a common misconception that hate speech is legally prohibited. But hate speech is not a legal category," Ugland said.
He said the speech must be targeted at a specific individual, or else be threatening or defamatory against a specific person or group of people, in order for the government to have the authority to remove it.
Ugland noted Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act also gives operators of websites immunity for posts by third parties.
"Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or even some websites like Gab, cannot be held legally responsible for posts made by their users," Ugland said.
Although Ugland added some social media sites, like Twitter, have instituted policies giving themselves the ability to remove/regulate some posts or profiles deemed hateful or inflammatory.
He also said it's important users of such sites report any speech that could be deemed hateful or abusive - even if it's just to be safe.
Ugland said it's up to social media users/websites to report suspicious speech to authorities.
"It's up to those sites what they want to convey to law enforcement when they see a threat that they think is real," Ugland said.
Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist who now does outreach work to promote inclusiveness and bridge-building, said he thinks the solution to the violent hate that led to Saturday's shooting lies with people and not the government.
"The more we separate ourselves from our fellow human beings, the more atrocities like Saturday's will continue to happen," Michaelis said.
"We can't just fix things with a stroke of a pen, or with passing a law," Michaelis said. "You need to change peoples' hearts and minds in the process."
Michaelis works with law enforcement and other groups as a consultant to counter violent extremism.
He also does youth outreach with the organization Serve to Unite.
"I'm doing the best I can to help people heal from the kind of harm I was involved in, and to bring about a world where all people are included and accepted," Michaelis said.
He said Saturday's shooting was certainly "a blow" to the work he has put in.
But rather than be discouraged, Michaelis said the tragedy in Pennsylvania motives him to try harder.
"It's all the more reason to double down," Michaelis said. "We have to work harder to help people heal."
