The internet is a massive network that consists of many other connected networks where anyone can see, share and contribute. When personal information on the web was (and still is) a concern, private photos that include naked pictures and videos are becoming a major privacy problem.
Hackers are common on the web. They lurk behind firewalls, and can bypass computer and server security system to see and get what they want without alerting anyone before its too late. If personal information is not good enough for them, naked pictures and videos that show more of your skin are becoming a major demand to people that seek adult materials and to those that want to get more "intimate" to someone.
Celebrities have high value because of their status. But hackers don't just aim for materials from famous figures, anyone can be a victim, and that includes you.
There is no saying how these explicit materials can be on the web, or how hackers can have access to them. But people are opted to know how to keep these personal materials to themselves.
Never Take Naked Pictures
Mobile devices are a common thing today. And this might not be the best answer, but it's still the best solution and the most obvious. Prevention is better than cure. By not taking any naked materials of yourself, you can be sure that none of this problem will occur (unless your photos are edited).
But if you really want to take naked materials of yourself, prevent any identifying marks or backgrounds from it. And that include you face. This is the first step to do as a safe measure in case something bad happen.
Never Upload it on the Internet
Anyone has the rights to do anything with their belongings, and that include your body and your mobile device. If you do want to take naked pictures/videos of yourself with your face on it, avoid putting them on the internet. Since the internet is a place where people can see, share and contribute, there is no saying how fast something can go or travel from one hand to another. Store your pictures/videos to yourself in your hard drive. Encrypt them because if your system is compromised and hackers get to hold of your materials, they won't be accessible by a certain measure depending on the hackers' skills and tools.
But what should you do if you want to share with you spouse when he/she is far from you by using the internet, for example. There is some things you need to do: use cloud service, enable two-step verification and encryption. This type of verification can protect your account from being hacked by brute force attacks. With two-step verification, anyone that wants access to it from unknown device will have to enter an additional code after logging in. Despite using two-step verification, hackers can still able to get their hands on your precious materials if they are keen and skilled enough. To make it safer, encrypting your files before uploading is crucial. Encrypting your files is easy and there's no reason for not doing it. The only way to decrypt the files is by using your very secure key.
By using cloud service with two-steps verification and by encrypting your data can be the most secure way for your personal materials to be on the internet. Other methods of sharing such as using social media networks or instant messaging services is not at all safe. Although they may say that their services are secure, the possibility of your personal materials to be leaked is significantly higher.
Store it in a Safe Place
In the current fast-paced of digital and technology advancements, using polaroids or cameras with films to take photos and keep them in a safe or vault might be the last thing you can think of. But actually, this has many advantages that technology don't: physical accessibility.
When you first take pictures/videos from a mobile device, they are stored in the device's internal/external memory. Many people think that as long as this is safe because as long as their mobile device is with them, the materials is always with them. This is true. But what happen if it gets stolen?
Everything on a digital storage has its own digital footprint. Many people think that by deleting photos/videos from their mobile devices is enough to make those materials gone for good. This isn't true because digital footprint is somehow still present despite the data is erased, and this footprint is the first step to recover what you have deleted.
Besides that, most mobile devices also have cloud sync feature. This feature enables you to sync files across many devices. Deleting it at one place does not guarantee that the material synced to other places is also deleted.
And if others can have their hands on those private materials, there is no saying where those things may end up to. And the most obvious and common place for these type of highly requested things to be is on the internet.
Minimizing the Damage
If your personal and private photos/videos apparently made their way to the internet for others to consume, your fears have finally become a reality. However, despite the end is near, it's not over for you to minimize the damage.
By having them on the internet, the worst has happened. The first thing you should think is "it won't get any worse". At this point, erasing those private materials is next to impossible. Once it's on the internet where anyone can see, anyone can download. And when anyone can download, it can certainly be shared. The process is an unbreakable chain that will keep going.
If the materials end up on an actual porn website, the administrator/webmasters can corporate if you insist them in taking down photos/videos as requested. But if the materials end up somewhere more hostile such as revenge porn websites, you still have an upper hand to face them. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is at your service. You can also ask DMCA for help.
The last thing you can do is call the authorities.
Nobody deserves to have these things spread around. Celebrities, politicians or other high profile figures, and even you, don't deserve to be in such a "bare" state no matter what. Keep your personal belongings to yourself at any cost to avoid any embarrassment.