In an era in which hacking is becoming an all-too common breach of privacy, many have welcomed the news that Edward Majerczyk, the man behind the "celebgate" violation has been sentenced to nine-months imprisonment in Los Angeles.
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With 30 celebrities involved, including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence (who told Vanity Fair the hacking was a "sex crime"), the 29-year-old has also been ordered to pay $5,700 (A$7,564) in restitution for counselling services for one undisclosed celebrity whose photos were disseminated online.
The Illinois local and son of two former police officers used a phishing scheme, sending emails which appeared to be from security accounts of internet service providers to gain illegal access to over 300 Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts.
Other celebrity targets included Kate Upton and actress Kirsten Dunst, however no names were officially mentioned in the court documents.
"I was just so afraid. I didn't know how this would affect my career," Jennifer Lawrence told Vanity Fair in 2014.
"Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory."
With the charge carrying a maximum of five years, Majerczyk's lawyer attributed his behaviour to suffering depression at the time of the leak and anxiety-induced panic attacks in the months since.
"Mr Majerczyk was suffering from depression and looked to pornography websites and Internet chat rooms in an attempt to fill some of the voids and disappointment he was feeling in his life," the defendant's lawyer wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed last week.
According to the Chicago Tribune, U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras said while handing down the sentence that cyberattacks like the one orchestrated by Majerczyk are a consequence of living in a world that "inspires secrecy and anonymity and intrusion into the affairs of people's private lives."
With AP
