BackNude photos scandal: what just ‘fappened’
The leaked celeb images have stirred up a debate about user privacy and vulnerability of stored data, not just on the internet, but rather importantly, the smartphone
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On Sunday, a user posted a cache of nude, private images (approximately 200), of female celebrities on anonymous message boards AnonIB and 4chan. The post included images of Hollywood actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Kirsten Dunst and singer Rihanna among others. The posts later found their way to the popular link-sharing site Reddit, with the images uploaded to Imgur – a photo-upload site commonly used by its users (Redditors). The photographs were allegedly sold by the user, who claims to be a “collector" for Bitcoin. The hack was initially believed to be a breach of Apple’s data sync service iCloud and its “Find my iPhone" feature, but in a statement on Tuesday, the tech giant after its internal investigation said that the hack was a “very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions".
The leaked images have since stirred up a debate about user privacy and vulnerability of stored data, not just on the internet, but rather importantly, the smartphone. The celebrity photo hack, has acquired a rather infamous moniker “The Fappening" (fap , in internet slang, refers to masturbation), thanks to the subreddit, which first hosted these images immediately upon their leak.
What is 4Chan?
4Chan is, in simple words, a message board or an anonymous collective of sorts. One of the most visited and active forums in the US, it was originally conceived and founded (in 2003, by Christopher Poole) as an online platform to discuss all things Japanese comics (anime). The website has over the years evolved into the birthplace of most viral content on the internet, including “memes" like “Lulz" or “LOLCats" as we know them today. 4Chan is most famously (or infamously) known for its “/b/" forum, where users post random content, which have often tended to rake controversies, like the one today. The /b/ began as a forum with no or loosely enforced rules, thereby making it difficult to regulate or moderate and thus turning into a shadowy den of illegal online activities, highly offensive and objectionable posts with criminal intent. In the past, several of its users have been involved in posting hoax bomb threats, hacking and other notorious activities involving pornographic content. Anonymous, the anarchic hacktivism group, is also believed to have its origins in 4Chan.
Who did the hacking
What do we know about the hacker? Unfortunately, nothing. Except that unlike previous instances, where hackers have taken credit for their acts, there is no such reaction at the moment. The leaker (who claims to be a collector and not the hacker) reacted to the episode with this post on 4Chan: “People wanted **** for free. Sure, I got $120 with my bitcoin address, but when you consider how much time was put into acquiring this stuff (i’m not the hacker, just a collector), and the money (i paid a lot via Bitcoin as well to get certain sets when this stuff was privately traded Friday/Saturday) I didn’t get close to what I was hoping."
How the victims reacted to their privacy being violated
While some of the targeted celebrities – like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton confirmed the authenticity of the images through their publicist and lawyer respectively, others (like Victoria Justice) insisted that her alleged nudes might be fake. Lawrence’ publicist, Liz Mahoney said, “This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence." Upton’s lawyer, attorney Lawrence Shire “This is obviously an outrageous violation of our client’s privacy. We intend to pursue anyone disseminating or duplicating these illegally obtained images to the fullest extent possible."
Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this. Feeling for everyone who got hacked — @M_E_Winstead
To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves — @M_E_Winstead
Shortly after I tweeted about certain pics of me being fake, I was faced with a serious violation of privacy. There have always been fake photos of me on the internet, but I will not be put in the position to defend myself as to what is real or what is fake. I am angry at this massive invasion of privacy, and like the other women who are in this situation alongside of me, I am taking legal action to protect my rights — @VictoriaJustice
Even worse than seeing women’s privacy violated on social media is reading the accompanying comments that show such a lack of empathy — @EmWatson
Have celebrities been hacked before?
While private information and images of celebrities are considered to be hot targets for hackers, there have been instances in the past where online spaces have been invaded upon, and details stolen. In 2012, a Florida-resident named Christopher Cheney hacked into email accounts of A-list celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and Mila Kunis, posting intimate pictures he found there. Cheney was prosecuted and sent to ten years in prison in December 2012. At Cheney’s sentencing, Johansson said in a statement, “I have been truly humiliated and embarrassed." The other victim, Aguilera in her statement before the sentencing said, “That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no comprehension that can restore the feeling on has from such a large invasion of privacy."
In 2013, a hacker published private, financial information of several celebrities which included Jay-Z, Beyonce Knowles, Joe Biden, Mel Gibson, Hillary Clinton and Kim Kardashian.
Latest reactions:
Meanwhile, the celebrity photo hack case is now in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the FB I said that it “was aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high-profile individuals and is addressing the matter."
Apple in its statement said, “We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple’s engineers to discover the source. Our customers’ privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud® or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved."
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