'Feeding frenzy': Richard Wilkins dismayed over fake arrest photos going viral on social media
By Tom Livingstone | Nine News
Richard Wilkins said fake photos of him being arrested in a London park are not only hurting him, but also having an impact on his kids and grandchildren.
The Nine entertainment editor told Today he is even considering legal action against social media sites like Facebook, who should have the capacity to take fake and potentially harmful content down, but don't.
"A couple of lawyers have approached me, maybe I should take one for the team and bring it on," he said.
Wilkins said he is considering legal action over the doctored photos of him being arrested. (Supplied)
"My kids are affected, they don't like seeing their dad or grandad getting arrested in a park on the other side of the world - It is rubbish."
Wilkins reiterated he has never been arrested in his life and while the photos may have been funny the first time they did the rounds on social media, it has "become a feeding frenzy".
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Cybersecurity expert, Professor Richard Buckland said Wilkins would have grounds for suing Facebook over the content staying up but for many "it is a crime where the victims are very powerless".
"If the social media companies and people sharing these images and stories don't take them down, there is not much we can do," he told Today.
"We can be careful about not letting our image get out there but that is so hard."
Professor Richard Blaxland said Wilkins had grounds to take legal action against Facebook for the images staying up. (Today)
He said while people with a public profile might be used to this type of fake news about them, if something isn't done it could be your mum or your child who is targeted next.
"It can be so devastating when images of you are up there making it look like you are doing something you aren't," he said.
"We are so used to trusting images and it is hard to un-trust them - once you have seen them - even if you know it is not true the memory is still there and it is a serious problem."
