Remembering Jennifer Lawrence's response to being hacked after Leslie Jones is targeted: 'It is a sex crime'

'The law needs to be changed, and we need to change'

Jones' Tumblr page was taken down after photos from her iCloud account, her phone number, Twitter account and copies of her password and driving licence were posted online (Getty Images)

From the unyielding scrutiny of the paparazzi to the distortions and downright fabrications of gossip columns, privacy is becoming little more than a distant memory for those whose lives play out in the unrelenting gaze of the public eye.

But as technology advances and social media balloons, the infringement of privacy has seen a new dimension manifested in the form of cyber-attacks and hacks. As we saw again this week, this is the most marked when it comes in the form of naked photos of women being leaked without their consent for all the world to see.

On Wednesday, Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones had her website hacked and naked photos and personal information posted online. According to the BBC, the 48-year-old comedian’s Tumblr page was taken down after photos from her iCloud account, her phone number, Twitter account and copies of her password and driving licence were posted online.

Remarks made by Jennifer Lawrence, one of the first actresses to be targeted by hackers leaking naked pictures of high-profile women on an internet forum, are worth remebering after Jones' privacy was violated.

Lawrence, 26, was of the first of over 100 celebrities to have been targeted in the 4chan scandal in September 2014. She branded the incident a “sex crime”.

Leslie Jones at the Ghostbusters premiere (Getty)

Speaking after the incident, Lawrence told Vanity Fair: “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime”.

“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.

“Just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated, and the first thought that crosses somebody’s mind is to make a profit from it. It’s so beyond me. I just can’t imagine being that detached from humanity. I can’t imagine being that thoughtless and careless and so empty inside.”

The hack saw naked images of high-profile actors, musicians, models and presenters leaked on the website 4chan, an image sharing forum, in a hack linked to the Apple iCloud service. The list was predominantly made up of female stars and included Rihanna, Kate Upton, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne and many more.