Outrage as X says Edinburgh Cowgate severed head image "doesn't break rules"

The social media giant X has come under fire after seemingly approving the posting of horrific images related to a fatal accident in Edinburgh. After the tragic incident on Saturday night, which occurred in Cowgate, pictures reportedly showing the severed head of the deceased were widely shared online, causing considerable distress.

Numerous people in Scotland voiced their disgust at the graphic photos and videos showing gruesome scenes, and many took their objections directly to X. Despite the widespread condemnation and grief the images prompted, X initially determined that the content did not violate its sensitive media policy.

Following complaints to X, now under Elon Musk's ownership, respondents received messages from the platform suggesting that the disturbing material passed their policy standards. A message to one of the individuals who raised concerns stated: "Thanks for...using your voice to make X better for everyone. After review, we want to let you know (unidentified twitter user) hasn't broken our sensitive media rule."

READ MORE: Man, 74, died after being hit by bus in Edinburgh city centre - as 'severed head' claims go viral

The company’s explanation emphasised the parameters of acceptable content: "We allow sensitive content - like consensually produced adult content, graphic imagery and violence - in posts as long as it doesn't break our sensitive media policy."

Furthermore, the notice went on to say: "What can you do? If you don't want to see sensitive media on X, you can update your sensitive media settings. Please report child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity separately. And if there's sexual violence in this post, please report it as violent. We have zero tolerance for those kinds of behaviours.", reports the Daily Record.

A Scottish woman expressed her distress after her "For You" page on X was flooded with disturbing footage. She stated: "I reported endless X posts to Twitter, which were repeatedly popping up on my For You page, following the horrendous fatality on Cowgate. I had read the BBC report so the algorithm assumed I wanted to see all the horrendous other content being shared. Just shocking."

She further mentioned that despite the police's request to report any horrific content shared on social media, her complaints to Twitter were met with a response stating that the content did not violate their community guidelines. She added: "Clearly anything goes, despite their reporting policy options purporting to include gratuitous and sensitive content. It's a cesspit."

Following an inquiry about the gruesome posts, X confirmed that they had taken action on Monday evening. Although some posts from the weekend still contained videos of the severed head, the videos themselves were deleted and could not be played.

In some instances, screengrabs of the video and a blurred-out picture of the head remained on the site. An X spokesperson stated: "These posts were actioned under X's policy regarding Violent Content."

A 74 year old man was hit by a single-decker bus in Edinburgh's busy Cowgate area on Saturday night, leaving onlookers in shock. Police were notified at around 7:25pm and subsequently closed several roads.

Over the weekend, social media users were urged by Police Scotland to refrain from sharing distressing images and videos of the incident, as they were causing significant upset to the deceased's family. Chief Inspector Trisha Clark stated: "We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased's family. We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation."

The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many users expressing disgust at the sharing of such content.

One user appealed for people to delete the images, saying: "Police are saying to delete these immediately as the poor man's family are seeing them on social media. If you have an ounce of empathy, take it down now @PoliceScotland."

Another user lamented the state of social media, writing: "Those images shared from the Cowgate, Edinburgh reconfirms for me that the social media age is utterly shameful and the worst of times. How people can mock and use that for fun is abhorrent. How far we have fallen."

Another individual commented: "You should be ashamed of yourself for sharing this."