On Friday night, Police Scotland confirmed that a 19-year-old man had been arrested in connection with reported data protection offences.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Officers investigating a complaint of personal information being shared online relating to a Scottish football official have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a data protection offence.
“Inquiries are continuing.”
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) said the referee and his family have been placed under “police surveillance” for his safety.
Beaton’s decision to penalise Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson for handball in a stoppage-time VAR review allowed Celtic to cut the gap on William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts to one point ahead of Saturday’s title decider.
The decision was widely criticised in Scotland and beyond, and the Foundation of Hearts, the league leaders’ majority shareholder, expressed concerns over refereeing decisions during the title run-in.
The SFA said Beaton and his family had spent Thursday night at home under police surveillance “following a leak of personal details online” and condemned attempts to compromise the safety of match officials.
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A statement added: “Such vigilantism, motivated by decisions perceived to be right or wrong on a field of play, is a scourge on our national game and we are grateful to Police Scotland for their swift intervention.
“We are also clear, sadly, that this is the inevitable consequence of the heightening criticism, intolerance and scapegoating demonstrated this season by media pundits, supporters, official supporters’ groups, clubs, players, managers and former match officials.”
The SFA stated it would seek to strengthen its rules to protect match officials.
The governing body added: “Those who have sought to apportion blame and conspiracy towards match officials to deflect from defeats or perceived injustices throughout the season have contributed to an environment that puts the safety of our staff and match officials in jeopardy.
“This is the consequence of a hysterical media narrative, fuelled by irresponsible knee-jerk, post-match media interviews, commentary and official social media posts.
“The cumulative effect impacts our ability to provide enough referees to service our game at all levels. When it compromises the safety and well-being of our most senior match officials, enough is enough.”
The SFA say the latest issue affecting Beaton is not an “isolated incident”.
“There are many examples of match officials being placed in harmful situations, but with individuals fearful of speaking out lest it exacerbates the situation or causes further alarm to friends, family and colleagues,” the statement added.
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“We will not allow this to become the norm. We will not allow a situation where match officials require special provisions to protect their children at school to be considered an occupational hazard.
“We will not allow a situation where staying at home with the front door locked and avoiding the hazards of public interaction becomes a coping strategy.”
The statement finished: “We urge tolerance and perspective to prevent any further, unthinkable escalation.”
It is not the first time football has impinged on Beaton’s family life.
Three men were sentenced over offences relating to abusive phone messages Beaton received in the aftermath of refereeing a Rangers win over Celtic in December 2018.
The Lanarkshire-based referee’s performance came under scrutiny after television footage highlighted a series of incidents involving Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, which went unpunished.
