Emma Watson’s private photos have been stolen, and that is not okay
From some very hideous corner of the internet comes news today that Emma Watson’s private photos have been stolen, and we’re mad as hell on her behalf. The Telegraph reported earlier today that, according to a Reddit thread, nude photos of Watson were circulating on the “dark web,” an encrypted network where users can share files and information anonymously. Photos of Amanda Seyfried were also reportedly stolen.
Watson’s reps have corrected the rumor, saying the photos are private but not nude, and have confirmed the hack.
“Photos from a clothes fitting Emma had with a stylist a couple of years ago have been stolen. They are not nude photographs,” said her team in a statement. “Lawyers have been instructed and we are not commenting further.”
Watson, who is currently on a press tour promoting her forthcoming film, Beauty and the Beast, spoke out when Jennifer Lawrence and a host of other stars were victimized by a photo-hacking scandal in 2014.
Check out her powerful and supportive tweet.
Even worse than seeing women's privacy violated on social media is reading the accompanying comments that show such a lack of empathy.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) September 1, 2014
Though she hasn’t yet acknowledged the leak of her own photos, we’re sure Watson’s fuming.
After her experience, Lawrence spoke to Vanity Fair about having her privacy violated in such a disturbing and public way, saying in 2014, “Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this.” She added,
"It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That’s why these websites are responsible."
Lawrence is damn right about not “asking for it.” And while there are some laws in place to punish those who steal files, there’s little recourse in terms of prosecuting those who view or profit from the publication of those photos. So, again, Lawrence is right. It’s about time for these laws to change.
