TheFappening

Have you heard of the infamous hacking and leaking of celebrity nudes, commonly referred to as “The Fappening”? If you have, then you know that in 2014 numerous private photos of high-profile celebrities were leaked on the web as a result of Apple’s iCloud security breach. From actors to singers and athletes, many celebrities found themselves inadvertently thrust into the spotlight due to their personal photos that had become rumored or confirmed public knowledge!

In case you haven’t heard about The Fappening before, it refers to an immense collection of nude photos hacked from the iPhone accounts of famous people like actress Jennifer Lawrence and singer Rihanna. These personal images were subsequently posted online without the consent of their owners resulting in an outrageous media frenzy and open debate regarding cloud security and privacy rights for any future victims.

We should bear in mind that the naked pictures weren’t just made available on random websites; they appeared across social media platforms such as Reddit, 4chan and Twitter. It was during this time, when the term ‘the Fappening’ was born – named after “fap” which is slang for masturbation. Legally speaking, all these sites were told to remove any leaked images pertaining to the stars but some chose not to cooperate with authorities; leading them down a road incorporating lawsuits over alleged copyright infringement.

The most popular site which hosted many of these leaked images was Reddit – featuring hundreds upon thousands of views per minute! Naturally there ensued much criticism towards this website’s lenient policy concerning what type of content they choose to post versus take down from their user postings; no longer is it simply a hub for wince-inducing GIFs but also life’s very intimate moments exposed!

It didn’t take long before celebrities started taking action against those who viewed or seized part in posting explicit photos online. For example ‘The Hunger Games’ star Jennifer Lawrence quickly assembled her legal team who sent out several strongly-worded cease & desist orders plus subsequent warnings concerning possible action taken if exploitive material wasn’t deleted. The same thing happened with other well-known faces such as Kim Kardashian who released a statement demanding that sites immediately remove any pictures taken from her smartphone lest she go after the responsible parties full force.

With rumors abounding about additional Fappening releases, we can only speculate whether future victims will be able to protect themselves in the same fashion as those preceding them or if more drastic measures must be implemented once again in order secure our digital privacy!