Sexting or Sharing of Naked Photos or Videos

We cannot deny the fact that many people, celebrities included, have already been bullied and ridiculed because their private photos and videos have been leaked online. These have been collectively known as scandals. So how do we keep our private lives safe?

Are They Really Private?

As humans, we are “entitled” to acts of intimacy. We are wired that way. It could be with a spouse or a lover. And it makes us feel good. These are usually done in private, in the comforts of a bedroom, where the act is shared with abandon because normally, nobody else is looking.

However, there are those who want to have keepsakes of their intimate moments. They capture these moments in photos or videos. And that’s where the problem starts.

Storage

While not everybody’s accounts get hacked, there is that risk. And it becomes doubled when these private photos are just stored on the phone. When the phone gets stolen and unlocked by others, there’s a good chance that your intimate files will be shared. You can also get drunk and a friend might prank you by sharing some of your private files while you are passed out. So many scenarios can happen.

There is also another risk if you upload these files in data storage sites because of your limited disk space. These storage sites can also be hacked.

Probably your safest place is your external hard disk. After each photo or video taken, you transfer your files there.

Naked Selfies

Aside from intimate photos and videos, there are also “naked selfies”. I have learned that some lovers exchange “sexy” photos of themselves in the hopes of seducing or exciting the other party. However, many of these naked selfies go beyond the scope when they are hacked and released.

Also, there are bad people online. They pretend to be your online lover, only to turn out to be a predator. Then they use your naked selfies against you, either to blackmail you or really reveal you to the world.

Sexting

A friend of mine told me that her child had been involved in sexting. So that means, it can happen even to young people that we do not expect are capable of.

Just like photos and videos, these messages can become public anytime, so many people’s private conversations have also been revealed to the public. They can be hacked and also, there is also such a thing as a “screenshot”.

Keep It Offline

But in my opinion, the safest thing to do is to keep the intimate acts private and not document them or share them online. As long as they are on the web, there is always a risk of your private moments getting public.

If it cannot be helped, then at least, keep them safe.

Katoptronophilia

As I am writing this, I came across the word, katoptrohophilia. It involves performing sexual acts in front of mirrors, which allows those involved to see themselves in real time.

If watching yourself perform is your idea of entertainment, then performing before mirrors would be the safest thing to do and the nearest thing to watching yourself do it.

For Our Children

For us parents, these scandals are a real scare. We need to be more vigilant with what our kids are doing, watching, or who our kids are chatting with.

Not to the point of being paranoid, but this is a sinful world and there are predators out there who are ready to pounce on the weak, especially the young.

Let’s keep the digital landscape safe for our children. Teach them the dos and don’ts of life as well as in their online lifestyles. Spending meal times with your kids would be a good opportunity to teach them and also to listen to them.

Plus knowing their passwords to their gadgets and online accounts would really help.

We cannot fail safe everything, but parental vigilance would certainly be a deterrent to having our kids get victimized by online predators.

#makeITsafePH campaign

Hootsuite is a US-based social media management platform. They have released their “Digital in 2018” report of social media and digital trends around the world. It was reported that the Philippines now has more than 67 million active Internet users–all of them having social media presence.

This widespread use of the internet is not all good, as it also gave rise to the emergence of internet-related crimes such as rape, theft, cyber bullying, and piracy. The public, especially the youth, are very vulnerable to these crimes.

Because of alarming societal problem, Globe Telecom came out with the #makeITsafePH cybersecurity and cyberwellness campaign to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. The campaign also teaches the public proper online etiquette so that they would not become a source of such deplorable behavior. All of these are for fostering a healthy digital lifestyle for everyone.