Celebrities having intimate photos that they intended to remain private leaked online has become an epidemic in recent years, and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry appears to be the latest victim.
At some point early Friday morning, photos that allege to show Curry nude began circulating on social media. It is unclear where the photos originated, and Curry had not commented on the situation as of the time this post was written.
Sharing nude photos of a person online without their consent is illegal, and the state of California has strict laws in place prohibiting it. As USA Today notes, Penal Code Section 647(j)(4) says it is illegal to “[distribute] the images, where the victim is identifiable; with the intent to cause serious emotional distress to the victim; and the victim actually suffered such distress.” The crime is punishable with up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000.
Unfortunately, there are many ways for hackers to get their hands on personal information these days. When the photos began circulating, many fans immediately thought of how Steph’s wife Ayesha said in an interview that she is afraid of Steph’s phone being hacked because he has “spicy” photos on it.
Correction: A previous version of this post stated that nude photos of both Stephen and Ayesha had been leaked online. Only photos that appeared to show Steph were leaked.
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