Hacking raises issues of privacy on the Internet
iCloud, known worldwide as Apple’s innovative cloud-hosting tool to let you access your music, photos, and documents from any Apple device, has just become the center of controversy.
These past few weeks, many celebrities, such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and Kirsten Dunst, were hacked via iCloud. Nude photographs of Lawrence surfaced online and have since been removed.
However, just like any normal person, a nude photo of oneself is private and should remain that way.
When Apple heard about the news the company admittedly stated that there was no security breach in their system and this was a specific person attacking and hacking these celebrities via email, passwords, and security questions.
Apple claimed that this has become a “common practice” on the Internet and could lead to a strengthening of security.
It’s seems as though the easier it becomes for these hackers to gain entry the more people are aware of how to go about their Internet browsing in a precarious way, for example, don’t leave your credit card information saved on the Internet and log out of your email.
A spokesperson for Jennifer Lawrence confirmed the photo’s authenticity.
“This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.”
The hacker has not been identified yet, but was trying to gain points for these shared photos on the 4chan website.
Hacking is an invasion of someone’s privacy, celebrity or not, it is not justified and if these hackers want to gain entry to something that is not there’s then perhaps breaking into someone’s house is equivalent? Where is the boundary drawn between what occurs on the Internet and real life situations, both are unlawful and should be taken seriously. Yes, people like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton had nude photos on their phones, and that is less of a concern compared to some other celebrities that willingly appear on magazine covers in the nude.
Is privacy now a privilege for some? The marriage between technology and celebrity power has grown since the rise of social media outlets like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The rise of popular culture has landed in the hands of celebrities and reality stars, providing a perfect concoction of drama, and this dramatic cycle continues, hence this hacker added to it by retrieving private photos. In this case, iCloud is not the perpetrator nor is Apple as a company. It is the skill of the hacker that is to blame and the intelligence or knowledge of how to go about hacking. If people like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton are being hacked, then what about the rest of us, are we subject to this invasion of privacy as well?
The answer being, yes, so buckle up and hold on tight because the world of technology just got a whole lot more complicated. However, there is a positive to this celebrity leakage, because if this happened to a non-celebrity most likely no one would care, but since it was a celebrity it is being investigated and the pathways of hacking are being revealed so that stronger security can be provided further down the road, and perhaps Apple will be the first to pioneer this in it’s software.
The hackers had a master list online of all the celebrities that were hacked or for future hacks. Names like Kim Kardashian, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Rihanna were amongst other female celebrity names. Ironically, the last name on the list, which was spelled “care delevigne” shows the lack of intelligence displayed by the “oh so intelligent” hacker.
Dear Hacker, please learn how to spell first, before hacking.
