Digital photos
Apple continues to work with law enforcement to identify the criminals after recent news that celebrity nude photos were stolen from their digital online storage spaces. While not taking blame, Apple is applying additional steps to keep hackers at bay.
Steve Noll teaches social media at Madison Area Technical College. He says it’s topical, in part, because Apple is known for having a high level of security. The technology is almost futuristic. “Everyone talks about watching the old TV show ‘Star Trek’ and how they can just push a button and ask a computer a question no matter where they are. That’s really what the cloud is. It’s moving to that instantaneous, always on, always accessible information.”
Apple claims their iCloud service was not breached; instead, the technology company says, “certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack.” Either way, it calls attention to our own privacy as we become more comfortable using cloud-based storage for our personal data, including photos, calendar, contacts, and financial information.
AUDIO: Noll explains the phone is merely a tool allowing the user to access data. 1:08
When deleting data from the phone or tablet, Noll reminds you to remember your mobile device’s automatic back-up. “If you have something like the iCloud backup system turned on, you know, these pictures are not being deleted from that system. They are deleted from that individual phone, but they are still living out in the cloud. I think a lot of people might not realize that this information is being backed up on their behalf.”
Noll explains, the cloud is designed to untether your phone, which is merely a tool used to access stored data. Strong user names, passwords, and two-step verification logins are just part of good digital security.