AirDrop warning as football manager's young family member receives X-rated photo

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The National League club said they were "disgusted" (Image: The FA via Getty Images)
The National League club said they were "disgusted" (Image: The FA via Getty Images)

Notts County Football Club have expressed their disgust after a young member of football manager Luke Williams' family was sent an explicit image through AirDrop.

The child received a "d**k pic" through their iPad on January 15, Williams' partner Jo Wilson said in a now-deleted tweet.

The incident occurred during the club's FA Trophy cup match with fellow National League side Maidstone United on Sunday, January 15.

Wilson has since thanked fans of the club for their reaction to the horrific incident and for sharing what happened.

The Magpies told the Mirror the shocking incident was isolated and had not occurred at the club before.

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AirDrop warning as football manager's young family member receives X-rated photoLuke Williams, manager of Notts County (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The world's oldest professional club said in a statement: "The club were disgusted to learn via social media that a child was exposed to vile and inappropriate imagery by an individual at our recent ISUZU FA Trophy tie against Maidstone United.

"While we cannot be held responsible for content shared within the stadium via platforms such as AirDrop, we nevertheless strive to make Meadow Lane a safe place for all and have been conducting our own investigations since the incident came to our attention."

The AirDrop feature in Apple devices allows users to share files including images with each other without using WiFi or cellular data.

AirDrop warning as football manager's young family member receives X-rated photo"It is impossible for us to try to trace who was responsible," County said (Getty Images)

It means phone and iPad users can be shared images against their wishes.

The incident reportedly occurred as a lone fan attempted to send images to fans on the ground and is believed to have been a prank. Notts have since said it is "impossible to trace" it as it was not reported to the club at the time.

The club added: "Unfortunately, as it was not reported to us at the time, it is impossible for us to try to trace who was responsible.

"We would therefore encourage anyone who can provide information which may lead to the person’s identification to please come forward so that they can be dealt with appropriately."

AirDrop warning as football manager's young family member receives X-rated photoApple has made it harder to send AirDrops to strangers in its new update

Apple has worked to fix the problem in its most recent software update, part of iOS 16.2, released in December.

The new update restricts AirDrop to contacts only by default. Users can turn on the feature to receive and share files with strangers nearby, but this is only available for 10 minutes at a time.

Similarly, unwanted incidents involving AirDrop have been reported recently, including a flight in the US in August last year being delayed after someone sent nude photographs to other passengers.

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A Southwest Airlines flight from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas was delayed when the pilot threatened to cancel the takeoff and return to the gate if the messages continued.

AirDrop warning as football manager's young family member receives X-rated photoA new bill is looking at cracking down on unwanted explicit images (Apple)

Southwestern also kicked a man off a flight in June after he sent photos of himself receiving oral sex to other passengers, who reported it to staff.

The Online Safety Bill, currently in its 2nd reading stage in the House of Lords, aims to make 'cyberflashing' a punishable offence with a sentence of up to two years in prison.

Cyberflashing was coined as a term after an incident in 201rw when a female commuter was sent explicit images.

The law will be enforceable if a person sends a picture "any person's genitals" to if there is intent to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.

Benjamin Lynch

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