How The Internet Is Destroying The Privacy And Safety Of Prominent People - By: Adrian Adams

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Pictures and videos of celebrities caught in embarrassing moments turn up regularly in every media; print as well as online. The only reason anyone would bother publishing it is because there are millions of people out there who look forward to devouring every embarrassing detail about their most-loved as well as their most-hated celebrities. Even though many people will not admit to it, celebrity gaffes make for good viewing. And the reason for this? It makes celebrities seem as human as the rest of the 'average' people. After all, everybody knows somebody 'ordinary' who has either had a wardrobe malfunction at an important event or has fallen on their face at some time or the other. Somehow it did not seem as newsworthy as the famous 'Nipplegate' incident, which topped the '25 Biggest Celebrity Scandals since 1982' poll. It made headline news in every possible media, offline as well as online. Think about it- how many people would resist the temptation of buying, or at least taking a sneak-peek into a magazine whose headlines screamed, 'Top 10 embarrassing Celebrity Moments'. Magazines with headlines like this would get sold off the shelves like hot cakes. Unfortunately, magazines only tell part of the story. You get to see a couple of still- pictures and your interest is piqued about the entire sequence of events. The internet takes the 'Top 10 embarrassing Celebrity Moments' to another level. It reveals to viewers every agonizing detail of every embarrassing celebrity moment. While this may be a visual feast for those who are so inclined, what does it do to the celebrities involved? Even as recently as five years ago, it was relatively easy for celebrities to contain the damage done, even if their embarrassing moments were clicked and published for public viewing. However, with the internet, whole videos of particular incidents are posted; there are blogs devoted to the uploaded video and you have the whole world discussing the topic at the same time. This can cause untold damage to a person's reputation as well as a person's safety and is a serious breach of privacy. Because of the potential exposure a person stands to gain by publishing such videos, amateur as well as professional photographers invade celebrity homes and go to any lengths to get photographs or better still live videos of their private lives. Celebrities' privacy is being completely eaten away by the latest high-tech gadgets such as long-lens cameras, camera phones and listening devices. This compromises the privacy and safety of not only the celebrities themselves but also their families, especially young children, who celebrities try so hard to shield from the public glare. Unmitigated pursuit of such videos and photographs can have fatal consequences as was seen in the case of Princess Diana, who died in a car crash as she was trying to flee a pack of photographers who were in relentless pursuit, in the hope of getting a few more photographs.