The “Fappening” was an unashamed data leak of iCloud-stored personal photographs of more than a hundred celebrities. For those who followed it, the Fappening scandal steadily made headlines over a few weeks in September 2014, with nude celebrity pictures spilling out across the internet as if it were never going to stop.
In its early days, several of these leaked photos were published on 4chan and Reddit, but were soon taken down due to outrage from celebrities and online users alike. The police’s involvement in celebrity cybercrime then started to grow, even reaching sites like Twitter, but by far the most damaging addition had to be Google Images. With a search for a celebrity likely to bring up images taken from their iCloud account without any trace of censure or warning under NSFW rules violation, the Fappening offered a reminder that sharing is not always caring.
The subsequent investigations into alleged celebrity leaks did not disprove the central fact that innocent people’s privacy had been violated, but they did highlight problems with website security and made clear that only by taking careful steps can one protect their data. Because while the hack itself was notable for just how brazen it was in its ruthlessness – with multiple celebrities targeted at once – there have been smaller-scale pics dealt out every now and then since too.
So what lessons should we take away from The Fappening? Well firstly; security is essential no matter where you’re uploading your photos. And secondly; due recognition must be given to victims – being mindful not just of protecting them wherever possible against cybercrime offenses – but also showing understanding when talking about this sort of sensitive material release publicly.