Lindsey Vonn has become the first celebrity to react to the publication of intimate hacked photographs and video, calling their online posting an “outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy.”
Revealing images and video of Vonn and her ex-boyfriend Tiger Woods were among dozens of nude photographs of celebrities, including Miley Cyrus and Kristen Stewart, posted online Tuesday.
Although lawyers are reported to be working around the clock to try and get the images taken down, they have been copied and shared across the internet.
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TMZ reports the images of Woods and Vonn were hacked from Vonn’s phone.
They include images of Woods and the Olympic gold medalist skier that the pair sent to each other when they were in a relationship, the site said.
Woods, 41, and Vonn, 32, split in May 2015.
In a statement, Vonn said, “It is an outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy for anyone to steal and illegally publish private intimate photos.”
According to Us Weekly, the statement continued: “Lindsey will take all necessary and appropriate legal action to protect and enforce her rights and interests. She believes the individuals responsible for hacking her private photos as well as the websites that encourage this detestable conduct should be prosecuted to the fullest extent under the law.”
The hacking recalls the events of 2014, when private images of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence were hacked and published.
Lawrence called the hacking and publication of her private images a “sex crime” in an interview with Vanity Fair, and Ryan Collins, a Pennsylvania man, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Collins used a phishing scheme to obtain the log-in credentials of at least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts, most of which belonged to female celebrities, over a period of almost two years.
TMZ reports that Woods has hired attorney Michael Holtz, who’s threatening to sue the website unless the images are taken down immediately.
In May, Woods was arrested after driving erratically. He blamed an unexpected reaction to medication and completed a rehab program for addiction to prescription painkillers.
