Social media giant Twitter has announced its decision to remove images of deceased individuals at the request of family members. An updated policy was rolled out by Twitter spokesperson Nu Wexler on August 19th revealing that they would “consider public interest factors such as the newsworthiness of the content” in their take down requests.
The decision comes in the wake of a stormy week, and has, no doubt, been influenced by the experience of Robin Williams’ daughter who recently walked away from the website “shaking” after being tweeted graphic images of her late father’s body and receiving mounting criticism about the state of their public relationship.
Zelda Williams (second from right) at a Noobz movie photoshoot, 2011.
Image credit: CC-BY All rights held by Pop Culture Geek @Flickr here under licence
Zelda Williams countered by saying that “The real private moments I shared with him were precious, quiet, and believe it or not, not full of photos or ‘selfies’” before removing herself entirely from the website.
Fans continued to offer an outpouring of support for Williams’ daughter, urging her to return and labelling the incident as “bullying”.
Faced now with a video going viral that allegedly depicts the graphic execution of American photojournalist James Foley, Twitter has been quick to react. According to statements by leading spokesmen of the company, not only are the images being removed, but users accounts are being suspended if they interact with the material. Twitter’s CEO, Dick Costolo, made the situation clear in a tweet posted early on August 20th. Following the incident, Twitter has made good on its claim and a number of accounts have indeed been closed.
In the controversial footage in question, the journalist is allegedly seen giving a statement in which he places blame for his death on the United States and says goodbye while a masked figure stands beside him. The masked figure then launches into a threatening tirade against international forces.
Unconfirmed speculation has been rife across Twitter that even viewing the video, let alone sharing it across social media platforms, may be a matter for criminal investigation in some countries.
Twitter users have unanimously come together with declarations of ‘this is how we should remember James Foley’ coupled with inspiring images and video of his work and achievements. The Independent newspaper summed up the mood:
