Police apologize for Valentine’s Day tweet

WINNIPEG — RCMP in Manitoba are apologizing over a recent social media post that warned people about sharing intimate images of themselves with others.Mounties released the Valentine’s Daythemed tweet on Sunday, saying love doesn’t necessarily last forever but pictures do.

The post also read, “this Valentine’s keep your privates private” and included a pixelated photo labelled “censored.”Some social media users criticized the message as blaming victims whose images are used without their consent, such as in cases of revenge porn.

RCMP later removed the post. A spokesman says the intent was to raise awareness about how people can protect themselves online, but the message was worded incorrectly.

“We chose the wrong words, unfortunately,” Sgt. Paul Manaigre, a media relations officer with the Manitoba division, said Monday. “We apologize if anyone ... was offended to it.”