The “Fappening” phenomenon is an infamous scandal that affected hundreds of celebrities in 2014, when explicit photos and videos of various celebrity figures were leaked on the internet via several notorious websites. The stolen material originated from Apple’s iCloud platform, as a sloppy security breach allowed hackers to gain access to the private accounts of these famous people. As a consequence, numerous nude images and videos surfaced on the internet for anyone to see, leading to widespread public outrage and media fascination alike.
It all started when a 4Chan user posted a list of alleged celebrities whose private iClouds had been breached. This came after months of research which had led him or her to find out the vulnerable spot on Apple’s cloud system. At first, there was disbelief among netizens, but upon seeing leaked screenshots and other evidence regarding this matter, it soon became clear that this individual’s claims had merit.
Soon after these initial postings, hundreds more leaked images appeared online, as these hackers gained access to increasingly more celebrity accounts every day, turning what was initially seen as a rumor into one of the most infamous celebrity scandals ever witnessed. All sorts of nude pictures and intimate videos featuring some extremely famous faces circulated around the web at a tremendous pace; Hollywood actors such as Jennifer Lawrence or Kirsten Dunst found themselves at the center of this media frenzy with their personal privacies completely violated in full public display for all eyes to watch; prompting social media users everywhere to proclaim instances of cyber-bullying and defend those victims victimized by such shameful actions.
Numerous attempts were made by law enforcement agencies from all over the world in order to track down those responsible for unleashing “The Fappening,” yet no lead seemed ever fruitful enough for bringing real justice about this case: even now, many years passed since those first leaks occurred, we are still unable today to discern with certainty who were the individuals behind this massive breach of privacy. Thus it remains unclear how long will it take until “The Fappening” becomes just another piece in our cultural history book – involving both its victims as well as its guilty parties alike – so that they could finally rest in peace while we learn something profitable from this terrible mishap.