The Spiderman star, Kirsten Dunst, tweeted ‘Thank you iCloud’ along with icons representing a slice of pizza and a pile of poo the day after naked photos of her were published online. (1) Dunst, and others like her sharing the spotlight, are exposed daily to the ruthless who snap photos and share private information for TMZ, or the highest bidder for that matter.
Putting a tracker on the hacker is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. The identity of the perp is still unknown at this point but claims to have access to one hundred more profiles of celeb’s nude photos. Faulting Apple in this scandle, while they are the only known culprit, makes me think of Leutenant Dan daring God to strike him while dangling legless from the mast on Forrest Gump’s shrimping boat during a squall.
Helpless.
Such is the glamorous life of those enshrined in fame. While the air they breath is rare, there’s a perpetual tinge of the loss of anonymity. John Mayer sang about another famous Apple in City Love…
I never liked this apple much
It always seemed too big to touch
I can’t remember how I found
My way before she came around
…
She keeps a toothbrush at my place
As if I had the extra space
She steals my clothes to wear to work
I know – her hairs are on my shirts (2)
Apple is like the roommate who keeps to himself, always pays his bills on time, but has friends that sneak in an out unawares. While you’re gone they try on your clothes, borrow your razors, and exploit your hidden cache of beef jerky.
Ethics for the Famous: Apple has done a fair job at restoring anonymity but not without chinks in the armor. Your privacy is ALWAYS under the threat of being compromized due to the efforts of the overzealous nerds with a bloodthirst for digital witchunting.
Che Guavera ideally said “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall.” His words sound so applicable BUT – Apple is too big… even for you. Don’t trust them with your nude selfies.
(2) John Mayer. City Love. Columbia Records, 2001.
Tim Holman, Writer 