David Mills
Ricky Gervais’ tweeted comment seemed kind of obvious: “Celebrities, make it harder for hackers to get nude pics of you from your computer by not putting nude pics of yourself on your computer.” Leaving the pictures in an insecure place as computers are is like leaving your wallet overnight on a bench in a city park. The thief is not excused by the carelessness, but the careless person is not blameless.
According to the media news site Mediaite, lots of people got upset at this and Gervais removed the tweet. One has no idea how much of a controversy this really was, given how much the twitter and celebrity world, and websites like Mediaite, depend upon controversy, but the reaction does suggest that taking nude pictures of yourself is now thought of normal, so normal that even suggesting someone is careless with the pictures is offensive.
One respondent quoted in the story said “Make it harder for hackers to steal your credit card # by not owning a credit card,” as if the two were equivalent. Another person said “Dear Ricky Gervais, it’s easier for ppl not to screen shot your sexist tweets, if you don’t write sexist things on twitter.”
It’s one of those things that make you realize how odd a world other people live in. Were I Gervais, I would have said “Celebrities, make it harder for hackers to get nude pics of you from your computer by not taking nude pics of yourself.”
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