In the wake of the celebrity nude photograph leak, many of us are questioning how safe we are online. Most people put trust in the cloud system, which allows us to back-up our files online, yet what if anyone can access them?

Those of us who have grown up in the era of the internet have always known the online world to be something of a haven for users. Yes, we know not to talk to strangers online and not to download files from illegal sites. But who would have thought our personal data was at risk? We take for granted what the experts tell us and for years now the experts have been telling us that the cloud system is safe. Further still, experts chastise us for not using the cloud system. They tell us that if we don’t back up our files online, then we will lose them, and we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.

Many people have suggested that the celebrities were naive to take naked photos in the first place. Blaming the celebrities themselves is an easy cop out. Why should high-profile individuals have their privacy taken away from them? Just because someone happens to be an actress, that doesn’t mean people should have access to every area of her personal life.

The fact is that if this hacking scam can happen to high-profile celebrities then it can happen to anyone of us. People may have no interest in getting naked photos of everyday people, but what about our bank details? Identity theft is just one of many potential threats the hackers present. In the modern world people upload everything about themselves online. That kind of raw information is of the utmost value to a hacker, who can sell it on should they wish to do so.

So how can we protect ourselves from this potential threat? Password safety is always a must. Tampa web design agencies admit that they see many clients using the same password for many accounts. You must try not to use the same password more than once as this is dangerous. Once a hacker has that password they can access all your online accounts. With that kind of information, a hacker can piece together your life and perhaps even steal your identity.

Your passwords should always vary from account to account. You should never use something obvious like your mother’s maiden name or song lyrics. People can see what type of music you like online; they can also see what your mother’s name is. A quick Google search will tell them what your mother’s maiden name is too. Unravelling your life and secrets online is not as difficult as you might think.

We now live in a culture where people lead second lives online. Years of internet use has meant that we have built up a faux trust of the online world. We must remember that if we can access something online, then the chances are that so can a few other people. Nothing is 100% secure, although we may be lead to believe that it is. It is no wonder that hackers can access sensitive material. In a world where we use the internet for just about everything, all our information is readily available online.

With any luck, some good will come out of the latest leak of celebrity photos. Everyday people should see this scandal as a warning. We shouldn’t be putting so much information about ourselves online. Our cultural relationship to the internet is far too liberal to be safe. Online safety should be your top priority when using the internet. Think twice before using the cloud, especially when it comes to backing up sensitive material.