There are some things you can’t unsee on social media, one of them was a link that was sent to our group chat yesterday. It was a netizen’s tweet, asking followers to call the authorities on a disgusting photographer who’s exploiting minors and perpetuating rape. What disturbed me is the fact the netizen quote-tweeted one of the photos that showed a minor posing in a shoot. It was clearly child porn. (I’m not going to name him because I don’t want other people to flock to his account/s, especially if they’re not suspended yet.)
This isn’t the first time netizens have intentionally and unintentionally spread such content online. The most recent involved a local celebrity who had an alleged explicit video. If you happen to see them and are somehow unsure what to do, read the tips below for a refresher.
READ MORE: REMINDER: Sharing explicit videos without the owner’s consent is a crime
Don’t react directly on the post
The rule of social media now is if you Like or comment on a post, it’ll gain engagement and pop up in people’s feeds. Once a post has a bunch of reactions, they’ll trend. Keep that in mind.
Don’t share
We understand that most reposts are for raising awareness about what’s wrong with the world. However, you should think first before you share something on social media, especially if you’re calling out another insensitive and explicit image/video. The child porn issue we mentioned earlier is one example because it added traction to the culprit’s post whenever people would repost his photos.
Another example was another netizen screengrabbed memes that showed the uncensored photo of the Cebu murder victim. It’s counterproductive and equally insensitive if you’re spreading something without blurring out the problematic parts of the image.
READ MORE: 17-year-old boy arrested for suspected rape-slay in Cebu
Go straight to reporting
It’s almost instinctive for us netizens to report a post that violates certain guidelines, and also accounts that consistently post spam and other problematic acts. So if you see them, just report them straight away, and tell others to do the same. )You can also do this with supposedly well-meaning tweets that repost explicit content.) Also, don’t forget to do the next tip below.
Take screenshots just in case
There are social media accounts that need to be reported to the authorities. The best you can do is to bring this up to the police and other cybercrime bodies in private. Also make sure to take screenshots in case the police asks for evidence to build a case against these people.
Again, don’t—just don’t—post it in public.
Photo courtesy of Pexels
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