In a society dominated by technology, much has been made about the security vulnerabilities that present themselves as our offline lives become increasingly intertwined with our online ones. These vulnerabilities were on full display over the weekend as many celebrities’ iCloud accounts were hacked, resulting in a mass release of explicit photos.

Cloud computing is something that we are all very familiar with, and utilize daily. It has streamlined our ability to share information in a seamless fashion, allowing all of our devices to operate essentially as one. While Cloud technology allows for instantaneous back-up capability and the efficiency of sharing files across numerous devices, this weekend’s leak of celebrity photos exposed how easy it can be for someone to access personal information and release it online.

The Cloud feels a bit like an omnipresent entity hovering above us. Everybody uses it, but few really understand how it works. With a lack of understanding comes a lack of attention paid to privacy options and techniques, leading to security lapses which create scenarios where hacks are possible. It’s a Frankensteinian situation of sorts, where the innovations that make our lives easier at the moment come back to haunt us in the long-run.

So is ease-of-use worth the potential for privacy invasion? Should companies like Apple who run these Cloud servers been held accountable for the malicious activity of others, or is the blame solely on those with insufficient passwords and security setups? One thing is clear, however; we all need to pay closer attention to our accounts, because as technology continues to advance, doors will continue to open that create situations where it can be used against us.