News broke early last week of an online hacker who gained access to a number of celebrities’ nude photos. The photos were then released and distributed by internet sites such as Reddit and 4chan, sparking an internet and legal firestorm.

Reaction to the heinous breach of privacy ensued, but my overwhelming sense was that this unfortunate event could have easily been avoided. Amidst the various tirades, I was left asking one question: Why take nude photos of yourself with a cell phone in the first place?

Let me back up and affirm that the theft of personal property and distribution of said property is always wrong and always criminal. However, in the case of these or any stolen nude photos, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in asserting that it’s something that is easily avoidable.

Taking a nude photo of yourself with a device that is always connected to some sort of internet is just asking for trouble. And before your nostrils flare at that statement, this isn’t the “she was asking for it” justification that often gets moronically affixed to rape victims, it’s simply common sense.

Cell phones, and by extension “the cloud” (or its counterparts for any non-iPhone user), are riddled with ways to peek beneath the veil of these “secured” storage spaces. There’s also never a shortage of online vultures willing to do whatever it takes to gain access and share your business. So why give them the ability to do so?

An example that can go hand-in-hand with this argument is the way Zelda Williams handled the Twitter backlash she received for the photos she posted of Robin Williams in August. When strangers weren’t satisfied with the photos she submitted of her late father, she responded with this tweet: “My favorite photos of family are framed in my house, not posted on social media, and they’ll remain there.”

Why can’t we apply this advice to any intimate photos we might take of ourselves for our partner’s or for our own personal use? Don’t frame the photos you take in your home, but keep them private. Why would you run the risk of taking a photo with something as insecure as a cell phone?

This is not an exhibition of slut-shaming or victim-blaming, nor am I advocating the theft of personal property; it’s just some sound advice that should be common sense.

We live in a gross world these days, one that’s littered with sex-crazed troglodytes who become increasingly more evil with each passing day. You have the right to take nude photos of yourself with a cell phone in this deteriorating environment just like you have the right to dangle meat in front of a dog; just don’t be surprised when your hand gets bit.

[email protected]