Today a hacker released a bunch of nude and explicit pictures of some well known young women on the internet. No, I'm not giving you a link. I did want to talk about how this serious breach of privacy is an excellent chance to build a coalition for privacy.
One of the biggest problem with the Snowden leaks is that they feel really, really theoretical. Yes, in theory the government could spy on you and then take that data and do lots of nasty mean stuff with it. But for most American's that seem very obscure. Most Americans don't think of this stuff in a political context.
You see lots of comments from people talking stating "I don't care if the government reads my emails or listens to my phone calls". That is because it doesn't feel real. Most people think that they have nothing to hide or that their lives are so uninteresting that they aren't a target.
Well a hacker exploited a breach in ICloud's security and was able to download pictures of a number of those users. He then posted those pictures online after approaching multiple gossip websites and trying to sell said pictures.
THIS IS A REAL LIVE EXAMPLE of why we need to be diligent about privacy.
Let's get some things out of the way.
1. If you think that these women had it "coming" because they took nude pictures and kept them, this is the wrong diary for you.
I don't care that these women took pictures of their boobs, crotch, in intimate positions etc. They took them with the understand that they were PRIVATE and were to remain private.
What does this have to do with Snowden? Well Snowden cautioned about the government having unfettered access to your personal information. Here is a perfect example of this in real life.
It also touches upon a demographic that complete understands the limits of privacy and the lack of laws to protect. Who are they?
Women. Women who in the privacy of their home take pictures either for themselves or with someone else with the understanding that they are PRIVATE.
Revenge porn has only recently caught the attention of lawmakers and that is only in a few states.
Those of you who want people to understand the IMPORTANCE of privacy have the perfect case. Personal things that you want to keep personal have no business being looked at by ANYONE else.
I hope the hacker is found and prosecuted.