FACEBOOK has deleted shocking pornographic images which hackers posted on the social networking website in a mass cyber attack.
The company launched an investigation after The National reported that thousands of supporters linked to the SNP and pro-independence Yes campaign had porn posted on their timelines and their names were tagged to “disgusting” videos and photos of sex, incest and masturbation.
One victim included Clackmannanshire Council’s depute provost and councillor Irene Hamilton who was horrified when she discovered messages had been sent to her council Facebook account telling her that she had been tagged on pornographic photos and a video had appeared on her profile. She welcomed the news that Facebook had investigated the complaints and deleted the rogue accounts that had been used to launch the attacks, saying it was “great news”.
She said: “I am pleased to hear that Facebook have removed the rogue accounts.
“I know there is a strong possibility that the problem will return, but I really hope Facebook do something about stopping hackers breaking through our privacy settings. Thanks to The National for all your help.”
Innocent people were being tricked into opening these dodgy porn links after receiving messages purporting to be from Facebook friends informing them they have been tagged on a photo or video.
When unwitting victims opened these messages they were faced with sickening pornographic material, which was then dispersed to the accounts of their friends and family without them knowing.
This caused anger and upset among Facebook users because the recipients of the images assumed the images had come directly from their friends and were initially unaware their account had been hacked.
One grandmother said every day she woke up to yet another horror image on her Facebook page after being sent messages telling her she had been tagged to porn.
SNP member Tracy Scott, 48, from Glasgow, feared the images would be seen by her grandchildren.
The National spoke to countless victims who insisted that Facebook had done nothing to rectify the situation after they reported the incidents.
However, Facebook said it had fully investigated the matter after we gave them details of users’ complaints and has now confirmed that those responsible for sending the porn had been removed from the platform and all offensive material deleted.
The company said there was no place for harassment on Facebook but online there would always be a tiny minority of people determined to upset other users. It assured users that it had an extensive reporting infrastructure that enables people to have content removed via the reporting links on the site.
Once sent to Facebook, the reports are analysed by Facebook’s community operations team, who check the content against Facebook’s community standards.
Facebook advised users to use the “privacy checkup” feature to review and adjust their settings to help make sure their content was only shared with people they can trust. The Facebook help centre offers guidance to people on reporting content.
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