'The Fappening' and the Troubling Distinction of Legality.

Back in September of 2014, the internet experienced what has since been termed 'The Fappening'. What was never definitively called a hack of iCloud, 'The Fappening' is known as one the biggest hacks on the internet leading to massive leaks of personal (often sexual) images of female celebrities. What started on the internet forum 4Chan moved to Reddit were a subreddit with the now infamous name was created (Fappening because it is a portmanteau of the words 'the happening' and 'fap' which is slang for maturbation).

While 'The Fappening' was enormous, enduring it was not. Not long after the stolen images started to spread, they began to disappear. Many a sad boy was quick to cry foul, with claims of first amendment rights and freedom to distribute. While many tried to justify their theft and enjoyment of the images, or legitimized it by donating profits from the stolen images to charity, celebrities' legal teams were quick and powerful, and the images were being removed faster than they were being uploaded.


'The Fappening' represents an ugly time in a time of questionable privacy on the internet. Most of the victims were women, and most of the images clearly displayed a notion of intimacy between the celebrity and the intended viewer. This sort of breach of privacy women suffer on the internet is not new. Far more than the average man on the internet, women must deal with harassment, rape threats, and the fear of having their personal information exposed for the trivial reason of simply being female. Unlike these celebrities, the women who are often victimized by men on the internet don't have the legal backing that can actually lead to any attempts to charge those who harass them or remove personal information or photos.

Sexting has become more and more popular as the technology of cell phones has moved forward. Some have argued that this trend may be a way for teens to enjoy sexual agency for the first time (Brown et al., 2009) while others have pointed to the double standards of females who engage in sexting (Lippman & Campbell, 2014). Could it be that this understanding has lead to some of the problems many women face in order to protect themselves or prosecute those who are stealing their personal info? When 'The Fappening' occurred, many blamed the women who had taken the photos in the first place. And when the founders of numerous revenge pornsites were finally taken to court after a lengthy battle, the same argument was heard. For the latter though, the problem with how to prosecute was felt particularly hard because, in most cases, the photos were submitted by those who had obtained the photos legally (jilted ex-boyfriends). As we move forward, many states have started to craft new laws to address the problems found on these revenge porn sites, but for now the problem still persists. And it may be time to consider how our understanding of victimization is contributing to this phenomenon.

Reference:
Brown, J. D., Keller, S., & Stern, S. (2009). Sex, sexuality, sexting, and sexed: Adolescents and the media. Prevention Researcher, 16(4), 12-16.

Lippman, J. R. & Campbell. S. W. (2014) Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…if you’re a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 8:4, 371-386, doi: 10.1080/17482798.2014.923009


Image from Jezebel.com