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More specifically, the image in question was a gruesome fake autopsy photo of her father, posted by anonymous accounts. This forced the 25-year-old to post a statement on Twitter, saying she will leave Twitter and other social media.
I’m sorry. I should’ve risen above. Deleting this from my devices for a good long time, maybe forever. Time will tell. Goodbye.
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) August 13, 2014
Twitter released a statement to The Wrap in response to the statement, saying that several accounts have been suspended and that it is in the process of improving its policies.
“We have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one,” said head of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Team Del Harvey. “This includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information, and improving support for family members of deceased users.”
Facebook also released a statement, saying that the photo is in violation of user policy and is “being actively flagged and removed across both platforms as it pops up.” Facebook owns Instagram, where the photo is reportedly also circulating.
Related: From motivation to slander: how social media leverages shame for better and worse
