As if there weren’t important stories to cover, the media is making a huge deal of the fact that purported revealing photos of a number of\u00a0\u00a0movie stars and other notables somehow found their way online. So such names as Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and model Kate Upton were bandied about as victims of this offense. It was even suggested that the racy photos were somehow acquired by hacking their iCloud accounts, and Apple\u00a0even investigated to see what was going on.<\/p>\n
Now before we get into the obvious common sense implications\u00a0of\u00a0such incidents, some members of the\u00a0media are pretending it’s just a problem with the iPhone and iCloud, and that’s not so. According to an AppleInsider report, some of these celebrities have been revealed taking selfies with other handsets, including Android, and that platform has a less-than-stellar reputation for security.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately,\u00a0Apple’s close ties with the entertainment industry have made them a target, but is any of it really Apple’s fault?<\/p>\n
Let’s look at the logic of the situation. Famous people are always targets. People want to know more about them and their lives. Personal information, particularly personal foibles, are actively sought by some less-savory members of the media. That random revealing photo someone may have taken early in their career suddenly shows up and becomes fodder for media reports and speculation.<\/p>\n
Now it’s true that people often do foolish things, and certainly someone seeking fame and fortune as a performer ought to think twice about what the paparazzi might find. Even photos taken in the privacy of one’s home may be stolen by hackers or others with access to their personal belongings. So this is nothing new.<\/p>\n
Despite the slim possibility that any of this had something to do with an iCloud security problem, Apple investigated anyway and reported that it didn’t. From their official statement on the matter: “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.”<\/p>\n
Understand I am not saying that celebrities are necessarily stupid people. Most of just regular folks who happened to find a way to earn a living from their special talents in a public arena. But I cannot believe someone didn’t sit them down and explain to them how things work when you’re in show business. Don’t they have agents or other personal representatives who might warn them of the consequences of their actions? Well, probably not when it comes to getting arrested for drunk or impaired driving, or engaging in bar fights, or going out on the town with someone other than their significant others.<\/p>\n
So I guess it comes with the territory that the racy photos taken in the privacy of their homes would somehow be discovered and posted.<\/p>\n
The best advice, other than to display a modicum of common sense of course about what photos they take, would be to do what’s necessary not to make their online accounts easy prey. Choose long, secure passwords, or use two-factor authentication where possible, as it is with Apple. In such a setup, you provide a traditional password and enter a code that iCloud sends to your iPhone. Of course if someone steals your iPhone, and you haven’t engaged Find My iPhone, there’s yet another way for someone to get ahold of your account info and login to compromised accounts.<\/p>\n
Of course, someone could take the conspiratorial approach and suggest that some of these celebrities enjoy the attention, even if it involves photos of them in compromising poses. They are exhibitionists, and when they\u00a0parade themselves in public to get attention, that may be par for the course. Certainly I do not dispute one’s right to photograph oneself or someone else wearing little or nothing, but someone in a sensitive business should have thought better of such behavior\u00a0\u2014 I’ve\u00a0already gone there.<\/p>\n
Considering all the publicity this episode has received, it’s clear that more attention than ever will be drawn to these photos\u00a0even if they’ve been taken down. And, no, I won’t provide any\u00a0links. I haven’t even bothered to look since I have other priorities.<\/p>\n
So if you want to find them, enjoy. If the celebrity intended for those photos to be there, all well and good. If not, they are still entitled to some measure of privacy, and I’d hope they are learning a lesson to be less cavalier about using tech gear that requires logins.<\/p>\n
As you know, simple passwords can be easily hacked. Even online services that promise security don’t always deliver, although Apple does a better job than most. But since Apple has been portrayed as a possible culprit here, please don’t forget\u00a0that anyone who wants the maximum level of security should check a platform’s history first and see what ones offer a better chance at keeping your data \u2014 even your racy photos \u2014 safe. In that respect, Android is probably the worst choice, particularly if you have an older handset or tablet\u00a0that doesn’t have the latest OS.<\/p>\n
Or just be careful. And this is harsh, but if you’re careless about protecting your online life, don’t be surprised if there are unsavory consequences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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