Investigations into the hacking of celebrities’ iPhone accounts, which resulted in the leak of nude or semi-nude photos of various female personalities, have turned into a child abuse case, as one alleged victim was under 18 when some photos were taken.
Lawyers for US Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney have served a legal demand on porn.com, which has hosted the photos originally released on the online forum 4chan, according to The Guardian.
The demand came even after Maroney denied the pictures were actually of her.
Anyone who owns or shares – this includes all views or downloads – photos of anyone under the age of 18 is subject to prosecution pursuant to US law. The FBI announced Monday that it was “addressing”the leak of around 400 images of about 100 female celebrities.
Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, model Kate Upton, and actress Kirsten Dunst are among the top celebrities who were alleged victims of the hacking effort.