Images are once again circulating the Internet that purport to show one of the killers of James Bulger, now 30 year old Jon Venables.
Images apparently depicting Jon Venables have recently appeared on social networking site Twitter. Whilst the original images have been removed it is feared that other social media users who saw them may have made their own copies and may try and share them. Images are still circulating across Facebook asserting to show Venables (update: and some modified photos claim to show Thompson), and shockingly (or some may say unsurprisingly) Facebook are refusing to remove them as they do not breach their terms and conditions.
Many of these photos have accumulated threatening and aggressive comments, some clearly in support of vigilante “justice”.
The authenticity of the photos is unknown.
We spend plenty of our time warning people that spreading unfounded malicious rumours is dangerous, even if they might be true. A variety of viral rumours have circulated in the past falsely accusing many people of various crimes.
The problem with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is that an Internet surfer’s “gossip inhibitions” seem substantially lower than they are in real life, meaning that those surfing the web seem much more likely to pass unverified yet damaging rumours to others than they would in the same situation in their offline life.
And this is certainly the case here, as a minority of Facebook users seem extremely willing to pass on unverified and potentially inaccurate photos claiming to be the Bulger killers simply because “it might” be them. Let us be clear – this is wholly irresponsible and dangerous. By sharing these photos you could potentially be ruining an innocent persons life.
Regardless of the authenticity of these photos users should absolutely not circulate them with anyone. Not only because it is illegal in the UK (those who upload or even share these photos are violating a worldwide injunction and are liable to prosecution, even if the photo falsely identifies Venables) but because it encourages vigilante justice and can be extremely damaging to an individual’s safety, possibly an innocent persons safety.
This applies to all damaging rumours, not just one’s coveted in the safety of court ordered injunctions. Before you hit the Share button ask yourself two questions – Do I know this to be true beyond any doubt? – And would I like it if my name or details were being posted in this unverified rumour?
And then hit Delete instead.
Perhaps unsurprisingly Facebook have refused to remove many such photos, and claim that the photo does not breach their community standards. Specifically, when the photo was reported as Hate Speech (the closest option available, the others being ‘Scam or Spam’, ‘Nudity’, ‘Graphic Violence’ or ‘Drug Use’) we were told that it “… was not found to violate our community standards on Hate Speech“. (see image below)
In 2001 the “worldwide” a.k.a. blanket injunction was amended to give Internet Service Providers some relief when it comes to information being posted about the identities of Bulger’s killers since ISPs do not have control over what is posted through their service, however even the amended injunction clearly stated that they would need to act to remove offending information once they were made aware.
If Facebook were to be held to the same standard, then if the photo’s do indeed show Venables, Facebook are very much in violation of the injunction. In fact, according to a recent statement by an AGO spokesperson, Facebook may be in violation regardless. The AGO spokesperson stated…
“It should be noted, there is a worldwide injunction in place which prevents the publication of any images or information purporting to identify anyone as Jon Venables”
Meaning that if posting material that merely claims to show Venables is in violation of the injunction then the authenticity of the photos is irrelevant.
And if the photos are false and do not show Venables then by refusing to remove them Facebook could find themselves backed into a corner if anything happens to the men pictured in the handful of images that are circulating.
Regardless of Facebooks position on the issue, Facebook users who share the photos and tell others to do the same are putting themselves at risk of legal action if they live in the UK, and since the identities of the men pictured in the photos has not been confirmed, it is irresponsible to the highest degree to implore others in what is essentially an unverifiable online witchhunt.
Should these photos be removed faster from Facebook? Should people in the UK be prosecuted for sharing these images? Let us know what you think.
Further reading –
BBC Article – ‘Bulger killer Jon Venables images’ appear online
