Stolen Pics of Celebrities and Privacy

In case you missed it:
Video: Jennifer Lawrence nude photos leaked - Telegraph
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/technology/trove-of-nude-photos-sparks-debate-over-online-behavior.html
'Stolen' nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence leaked online by hacker - LA Times

I thought Seth Meyers had a great take on it:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1r_2vY1irQ


No, I didn't look; no, I'm not going to look. No one deserves to have their privacy violated in that manner. I understand we live in a world where not everything is private, where my phone automatically backs up the pictures I take to my Dropbox, my OneDrive, my Photobucket, but I know I would feel horribly violated if someone were to steal my personal pictures, regardless of the content. I think there is a huge potential for victim-blaming in a case like this. These women had these pictures stolen from them without their consent.

What's your take?

 

I think there is a clear difference between 'it isn't your fault' and 'in the real world there is risk associated with X'.

Some of the comments I've heard give the perception that they are the same, and if you think people aren't managing risk well that you are trying to minimize the fact that they were victimized. I don't feel that is always accurate. I don't blame them. They were victimized, stolen from, and now are being exploited unfairly. But the truth is that if any of them are intelligent and anything but incredibly naive they had to realize the risk of the pics getting out was real. If they wanted to view the risk as minimal/acceptable, that was their call. I feel bad for them that the risk was realized. And I totally agree that the people who did it are thieves and are completely in the wrong. But in the real world that was a risk they almost had to know they were taking.

It doesn't make what the hackers/thieves did any less wrong. And the victims should have had an expectation of privacy. But in the real world what 'should' be is rarely realized. It is for reasons like that, I believe, that we reduce risk here at TFP by having certain private areas. And I know for a fact that some minimize what they post (pics or otherwise) because of the risk of it being made public. Should someone make photos or private life details from those forums public? Absolutely not. But anyone posting private things anywhere needs to weigh the risk/reward carefully. It is sad, but the truth.

 

There's a whole conversation about information security and how we go about making sure our data is protected that we probably should be having and are not. At some point we need to figure this out, and we need to find a way to package it to make it palatable and digestible for the proverbial everyman. Or everywoman I suppose. Whatever.

There are a lot of ways that we can say technology has outpaced ethics and good sense. Or maybe that's not quite the term I want; in fact, I'm certain it isn't. What I am certain of is that we've created technologies and those technologies are giving us the capabilities to do things. Things like take naked photos and send them to our significant others. And we're still missing the piece of the puzzle where everyone knows what the full implications of that are and how to do it in a way that's safe and avoids something like this. The internet is forever. It doesn't forget. There are photos of Jennifer Lawrence's naked body on the internet now, and no matter what she or her lawyers do or say about it they will always be out there. No take backs.

So, y'know, I'm 100% behind not blaming the victims. But if you ask me how to make sure your house doesn't get robbed I'm going to say you should lock your door. If you want to know how to keep your life savings secure I'm going to say put that shit in the bank and not under the mattress. That doesn't mean I blame you if your door is unlocked and someone takes your life savings. You're not wrong for being robbed. But, y'know, if we're talking preventative measures, ways to protect yourself, these are they. And no matter how much we may want to avoid shaming someone who's already gone through something like that, it makes more sense to talk about how not to get robbed than to try to tell the robbers not to rob people. If that worked there'd be no robbers in the first place.

There have been a lot of words written about how awful the people who did this are. And y'know, that's true but it's also kind of a pointless thing to say. The people who agree with that sentiment already know without it needing to be said, and the people who don't aren't the kind of people who will be shamed by that kind of thing. They don't feel shame. It's not a thing. I think, for the kind of person who does something like this, Jennifer Lawrence isn't really a person. She's more like an icon, a pretty thing to look at that sometimes also makes movies. And y'know, there's no reason to feel bad about taking her nude photos, because you can't hurt an object. And if they're out there there's no shame in looking because, hey, it's not like you took them. Someone's going to look at them, might as well be you, am I right?

So we can talk about all kinds of things about how you shouldn't be the kind of person who does this and it doesn't matter, because the kind of person who does this doesn't give a shit about what you have to say. And we can talk about making laws but the technology exists. The Pandora's box has been opened. So it's always going to be there and you can't really regulate it away. Just ask the music industry, they can tell you all about it.

So yeah. We can talk about how to prevent this as a victim. And, y'know, that's not because it's the victim's fault. It's because it's literally the only worthwhile approach in the aftermath of something like this. Here's how you can protect yourself. Don't take the pictures is one way. Turning off automated backups. Choosing secure passwords. Using two-factor authentication. It's a good discussion to have. It's one that we have to have at some point, because none of this stuff is ever going to go away, but nobody seems to want to have that conversation. Nobody's talking about password security. Nobody's talking about social engineering. What does a phishing email look like? What should you do if someone calls you claiming to be from Apple or Google? What makes for a good password or a bad password? Does anybody care?

Lock your doors.

 

IMHO

• Yes, the people who did it are jerks...and should be prosecuted...and I feel bad for those who got exposed without their consent...and they feel uncomfortable.
• Preventative measures...followup, follow-thru (as @Martian said above)
• Recognize there is alwaysa potential...you can't stop the signal. (A thing DRILLED into me in my capacity as a database & security professional...and preventing those events)
  • Especially if you're an attractive celebrity. (two, there's money in it...)
  • Especially if you put it on an online archive, shared media platform. (yes, the "cloud" is this, folks)
  • And that this is NOT the first time this has happened...so you're aware of the potential.
  • This is why I handed back the video of my Ex-gf after I broke it off with her. (very beautiful, in face, body & personality, BTW...so not like I wouldn't have enjoyed it...or anyone else)
  • And why I haven't taken pics, even though I'm comfortable with my body.
    If I go nude beach, I know I can be taken photos of...If I have it stored, it can be taken.
  • And I realize that anything posted here...can and may be shown to others.
• Enjoy your nudity...it's just the fuckin' human body...we all have it. If someone wants to see my junk that bad...here it is. Grow up people. (and those asshats that judge, you're a douchebag)
• And a bit Real-Politick...while it is TERRIBLE that they got exposed and feel uncomfortable...in this case, they are all pretty actors & actresses...and they probably enhanced their career with the exposure.
  Fame & Hollywood being what it is...

That being said...and wanting to not be a hypocrite...yes, I have searched out and seen said photos on Bing.
And despite their desires...Two Thumbs up ladies...you are all very beautiful women and should be proud. My compliments. I hope it adds to your fame & fortune.

 

What you're referring to is called cultural lag.

 

Well, there IS a difference...as I have not sought out most of the assassination clips.

I happened to see the suicide you're talking about but not searching for it specifically. (can you "trip" over things on the web??)
And why did he do it in public? At a news conference??

The leaks/thefts are more titillating...with public figures who often already put themselves out there with face & body. Not that this is justified, but it will breach the gap in your brain cells.
Also...people have whether they admit it or not...think that it was just "stupidity" for taking pics, then storing them online...so "self-inflicted" & non-violent. Again, not justified, but it still breaches the gap in people's heads.

While the suicide and murders...these are graphic violence...something many avoid.
Or others don't want to give the attackers the notoriety or satisfaction they desire from the act.

People make these "moral" judgment calls all the time throughout the day.
What they feel comfortable with, what they don't.

--------------------

Me, I've experienced death first-hand...having worked at a hospital for 2 years...running for life & death, signing in babies to store after their passing...walking into pathology.
Or the death of a fellow student in his crashed vehicle...and so on.
It's not something I want to go out of my way for to see.

But on the other hand I personally think people put too much onus on the human body's nudity...it's not violent, it's at times not even sexual.
So in this case, I happened to see it in simple Bing image sets...not any specific site or search. You admire it as much as you do in their films and photo layouts. One was permitted and paid, the other was accidental/permitted.

One was the horrid death of another.
The other was a bit of skin seen.

One a person's life ended.
The other, the person was embarrassed...then they likely benefited from it anyway since that's the career they're in.

Are both wrong? Yes. Period.
But they aren't certainly the same in impact or scope.

Am I splitting hairs? Perhaps.
But I can tell you this...I'd rather have a great number of people see my lily-white ass or flacid dick...than get killed terribly anytime.
Although I will say this...I would have to live with the first instance...I wouldn't remember about the 2nd after the fact. Death has that affect on people.