CelebJihad

Amidst widespread news of internet privacy breaches, it is a startling & alarming discovery to realize that nude celebrity photos and videos are being openly circulated by Islamic extremists. This unlawful act is being conducted without any regard for ethical or legal standards; posing notorious threats of online predators, violation of copyrights, blackmailing victims into compromising situations with financial leverage as well as creating sources for cyberbullying.

The circulation of such explicit content stolen from celebrities’ private accounts on social media websites presents an unaddressed moral dilemma among Islamic extremist groups–a discourse that gets overshadowed in the face of an organized anti-establishment movement. The debate remains dormant within their communities whilst the cost borne by the individuals targeted in these acts remain out of the spotlight.

While YouTube and Facebook have actively been working to remove controversial content promptly, incidents like ‘Fappening 2.0’ or ‘The Private Database’ have only reinforced how much more needs to be done to keeping this illicit practice in check and protect people’s privacy online. Empowering individual users with a sense of security in order to encourage responsible sharing will undoubtedly open up new opportunities–both socially and economically–for collective growth that would be beneficial to all parties involved regardless their religious affiliations.

Reinstating rights to digital self-determination calls for establishing explicitly defined protocols amongst governments’ surveillance mechanisms, social media networks & security apps alike regarding what degree of information should be shared with public institutions & extrajudicial actors operating under the guidelines set forth by Islamic fundamentalists. Since even internationally recognized digital platforms lack rigorous policies protecting celebrities from such invasions on their digital lives, further research has been proposed in areas surrounding legal reforms & technological improvements aimed at resolving privacy issues caused due to cybercrimes—allowing folks exclusive access & complete control over their virtual identities.