‘Like, really, really shocked’: why are so many people riffing on this sheep’s sex appeal?
When a New Zealand bank tried to censor sleazy comments about its virtual sheep mascot, it got a lesson in going viral and online censorship
TL;DR
- Kiwibank introduced a virtual sheep mascot named Buck.
- Users began posting explicit and 'sexy' comments and art featuring Buck on social media.
- Kiwibank filed copyright claims to remove the offending content.
- The bank's censorship efforts backfired, causing the trend to go viral and attracting more attention.
- Free speech advocates criticized Kiwibank's actions as censorship.
- The mascot, Buck, released a statement about the harmful content shared online.
- The incident was discussed on 'Last Week Tonight' with John Oliver.