It became known as “The Fappening.” Deeply intimate and private selfies of famous women appeared on the Internet without their consent, leading Jennifer Lawrence, in an interview with Vanity Fair, to label it a sex crime. “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting.”
For two whole years, no one knew who posted these pictures. No one could trace them. He, she, whoever they were, thought they got away with it. Until now.
This week the FBI and other authorities unmasked the hacker responsible. New York Daily News reports that Ryan Collins, 36, plead guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and unauthorized access to a protected computer. He faces between 18 months and five years in prison. It doesn’t seem like much but it does at least provide a stark warning to other hackers with similarly dark intentions.
Collins managed to get illegal access to over 100 Apple and Google email accounts, some of which belonged to female celebrities, via a phishing scheme. David Bowdich, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, explains that, “By illegally accessing intimate details of his victims’ personal lives, Mr. Collins violated their privacy and left many to contend with lasting emotional distress, embarrassment and feelings of insecurity.”
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Image courtesy Mingle MediaTV