Fake images of missing people shared on Twitter and Facebook following the Manchester attack
After the deadly attack in Manchester, which has killed 22 people and injured 59, people started sharing images of friends and family who they were with or who had been at the concert and were missing. However, others started sharing pictures showing people that had nothing to do with the attack.
Some people are sharing the images as a way of gaining retweets and shares, so they can increase their reach, according to the Independent. For instance, the girlfriend of one user’s cousin was reported missing after the attack. A photo of her was shared, but another social media user noted that she knew the person in the picture in real life and that she wasn’t at the concert.
Some of the people that appear in the pictures seem to be internet celebrities, many of them YouTubers, while others are randomly chosen normal people. These images are causing a lot of distress for people who see them and recognise them.
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Furthermore, they stand in the way of searching real people.
Police have warned that people should trust or share information solely from trusted sources. The images are one of the ways fake news are spreading in the wake of the terrorist attack, along with reports of false terror attacks around the country.
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