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Emma Watson is reportedly the victim of a nude photo leak, one that may be part of a larger release of stolen celebrity nude photos.
News of the alleged leak spread across social media late on Tuesday, with reports that nude pictures of Amanda Seyfried and Emma Watson were included. It remains unclear whether the leaked photos are legitimate or just where they may have originated, but some have compared the leak to the infamous 2014 leak that saw dozens of celebrities targeted.
The 2014 incident, which was dubbed “The Fappening” online, was reportedly the result of a hack on Apple’s iCloud backup platform for iOS devices. A report from Apple later claimed that the nude photos were obtained by something of an old-fashioned, low-tech hacking technique — by either guessing passwords or gleaning the information with some unwitting help from the targets.
“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,” Apple noted in its analysis . “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.”
If the leaked nude photos of Emma Watson are legitimate, there could be a similar investigation ahead. The 2014 incident came under an FBI investigation, which eventually led to the arrest and conviction of a Pennsylvania man named Ryan Collins.
At the time, authorities came down hard on the nude celebrity photo leak, but also used it as an opportunity to stress stronger protection measures for anyone using the internet.
“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,” David Bowdich, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement, via NBC News .
“We continue to see both celebrities and victims from all walks of life suffer the consequences of this crime and strongly encourage users of Internet-connected devices to strengthen passwords and to be skeptical when replying to emails asking for personal information,” he said.
If legitimate, the nude photo leak would come at a curious time for Emma Watson. She is about to appear in the live-action remake of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast , and has been making the rounds on the press circuit to promote the film.
Follow https://t.co/9OPIAyympV for a peek behind-the-scenes of our @beourguest press tour. Plus surprise kittens! (courtesy of @BuzzFeed )??? pic.twitter.com/BMrElSaCru
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) March 11, 2017
And in a small twist of irony, she actually just appeared topless on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Watson, a self-professed feminist, came under fire from some other feminist writers for the skin-baring cover, but she defended her decision.
“They were claiming that I couldn’t be a feminist and have boobs. Feminism is about giving women choice,” she said, via The Sun .
“Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom. It’s about liberation. It’s about equality. I really don’t know what my t*ts have to do with it.”
There have been reports on social media that other celebrities may be hit by the nude photo leak aside from Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried. While some have expressed excitement, others are defending the celebrities allegedly targeted, noting that their privacy has been violated.
FYI: 4chan is blowing up with another Fappening. This time the prime target is Amanda Seyfried, her privacy utterly violated.
— Allison Burnett (@Allison_Burnett) March 15, 2017
So far, it appears there is no response from Emma Watson on the alleged nude photo leak.
[Featured Image by Cindy Ord/Getty Images]