DUBAI: In a hacking scandal reminiscent of the celebrity photo leaks that made headlines in 2014, personal photos of a number of female celebrities were circulated online this week.
The images range from tame snaps to explicitly sexual photos and include such stars as Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried.
They began circulating late Tuesday night on Reddit and 4chan.
Watson and Seyfried launched legal action Wednesday and a representative for Watson confirmed to AFP that some of the photos are legitimate: “Photos from a clothes fitting Emma had with a stylist a couple of years ago have been stolen. They are not nude photographs. Lawyers have been instructed and we are not commenting further.”
The images of Watson show her in various outfits in front of a mirror and photographs of her hanging out with a group of friends. However, the photo dump includes images of a woman posing nude in a bathtub which the hackers claim is Watson – although the face of the woman is not visible.
The purported photos of actresses Amanda Seyfried and Jillian Murray that have been circulated online are more explicit and appear to show both women nude.
The images have been heralded online as “The Fappening 2.0,” in reference to the 2014 iCloud hacking of celebrity photos which saw intimate shots of actress Jennifer Lawrence leaked online.
In 2014, Watson took to Twitter to criticize the “lack of empathy” for Jennifer Lawrence and the other celebrities whose nude photos had been posted without their permission.
Emma Watson, female celebs targeted in photo hacking scandal
Emma Watson, female celebs targeted in photo hacking scandal
Tunisian journalist Chatha BelHajj Mubarak freed after sentence cut
- The court cut her sentence from five years to two, making her eligible for immediate release, her brother told Reuters
TUNIS: A Tunisian appeal court on Wednesday ordered the release of journalist Chatha BelHajj Mubarak, jailed since 2023 in a conspiracy case, after reducing her prison sentence, her family said.
The court cut her sentence from five years to two, making her eligible for immediate release, her brother told Reuters.
She was convicted in the so-called “Instalingo” case, which involved politicians, media figures and other defendants accused of conspiracy and financial crimes. BelHajj Mubarak denied the charges.
“Chatha is free and leaving prison,” her brother, Amen BelHajj Mubarak, said.
He said her health had severely deteriorated during her time in prison. She suffered serious complications, including significant hearing loss, and was diagnosed with cancer in detention, he added.
Tunisian authorities have said the case stems from judicial investigations into alleged financial and security-related offenses, and have rejected accusations by opposition groups that the prosecutions were politically motivated.
Tunisian prosecutors are pursuing a number of high-profile conspiracy cases involving politicians, journalists and activists. Several opposition leaders have received lengthy prison terms.
