Does Apple Share Blame In ‘The Fappening’?

This weekend, there was a massive breach of iCloud security that allowed the leak of nude photos of several prominent celebrities, and some are saying Apple should take responsibility for the incident. Apple says they are investigating the matter and taking it very seriously.

The photos were shared on 4chan, being re-posted in new threads as fast as old ones could be deleted. It’s being called ‘the fappening,’ and several celebrities plan to seek out those responsible and press charges.

Naturally, the majority of social media is engaged in a grand debate about who is at fault, with many blaming the women for having nude photos to begin with, in a feat of victim-blaming that is strongly reminiscent of such phrases as ‘shouldn’t have been wearing such a short skirt’ and ‘shouldn’t have been drinking.’

Feminists are rising up against this tide to call for placing blame where it belongs: on the persons committing the act. They say the incident isn’t a ‘scandal’ but a sex crime, and that anyone seeking the photos should consider themselves guilty of a non-consensual sex act upon the person in the photo.

Does tech giant Apple share in the guilt, though? Recode says that Apple may have failed to give users adequate information about security.

They say that Apple was late to adopt the two-factor authentication that would have made the accounts harder to breach, and that Apple didn’t do a very good job of making sure users knew the option existed.

Fox31 reports that Jennifer Lawrence’s publicist has promised a lawsuit for anyone who posts the photos. No one has (at least publicly) threatened to sue or hold Apple responsible for the breach at this point, but Apple is being proactive in seeking the source of the problem.

photo credit: LJR.MIKE via photopin cc

Does Apple Share Blame In ‘The Fappening’?