Do better on fake images, Esther Rantzen鈥檚 daughter tells social media firms

Do better on fake images, Esther Rantzen鈥檚 daughter tells social media firms

Dame Esther Rantzen鈥檚 daughter has insisted social media companies 鈥渕ust do better鈥 after fake images claiming to show the 85-year-old were posted online.

Rebecca Wilcox said the idea of such deathbed pictures being available was 鈥渉ugely upsetting鈥 to her terminally ill mother.

The availability of the fake images online prompted Dame Esther鈥檚 family to release photographs from her 85th birthday celebrations at the weekend.

While she has spoken in the media about her cancer battle and in support of the assisted dying campaign, it is the first time Dame Esther has been seen publicly in around two years.

Dressed in a yellow floral outfit and wearing a sunhat and sunglasses, the Childline founder and broadcaster smiled as she celebrated at home with her family on Sunday.

Ms Wilcox told the PA news agency: 鈥淗er garden looked beautiful, her grandkids were just the happiest, it was seriously a sparkly, lovely day.

鈥淚t was just a little, family, private joyful gathering, and then on Monday we see these pictures. So it was a strange rollercoaster that we went on.鈥

Ms Wilcox was alerted to the fake images by a friend and said it was 鈥渄umbfounding鈥 to see them, adding: 鈥淏ecause what is the purpose of this other than cruelty and clickbait?鈥

She said that just because her mother had lived a life in the public eye throughout her career 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 give you permission to make up a story or make up an image that will affect so many people that love and care about them鈥.

Branding it a 鈥渄espicable use of technology鈥, she said she had yet to hear back from Facebook owner Meta, having almost immediately reported the fake images to the social media giant.

鈥淭hey have done absolutely nothing about it. It鈥檚 not good enough,鈥 she said.

Asked what her message is to social media companies, she said: 鈥淚 think they have to stop saying they have no autonomy in these situations.

鈥淭hrough Childline I have seen the real, pernicious malevolence that lurks on these social media platforms.

鈥淭hey need to stop absolving themselves of responsibility and pretending that their company and their platform is too big to control.

鈥淭hey must do better and they should do better.鈥

Meta has been contacted for comment.

Dame Esther has been one of the most high-profile voices in the debate on legalising assisted dying, although she has acknowledged the legislation 鈥 currently being considered at Westminster 鈥 would likely not become law in time for her to use it and previously said she would have to 鈥渂uzz off to Zurich鈥 to use the Dignitas clinic.

Read More…