Bonnie Blue is an OnlyFans creator, well-known for her explicit adult content. Earlier this month, she advertised on her channel that she would be flying to the UK specifically for the purpose of sleeping with "freshers," the posh British equivalent of college freshmen. Unfortunately while she was there, one of the patrons who took advantage of her services also helped themselves to her phone and attempted to blackmail the OnlyFans star.
Now, she’s ok. She was able to lock her phone down remotely and ensure that none of the contents were able to be lifted from the now useless device, but that’s not really the point here.
Blue is a sex worker, and people in that profession are going to face a higher risk of exploitation and violence in the workplace than your average accountant. That said, what happened to her could happen to anyone, even without a line of men outside your door eager for the opportunity to sleep with you.
Bonnie Blue made a crucial mistake when she embarked on her quest to sleep with as many Brits as she could in one week; she shared her location so that prospective lovers could easily find her. It wasn’t just the golden retriever-esque college kids in that line; there were criminals that snuck under her radar, and one of them attempted to cause her real and lasting harm.
The brigand stole her phone while in her space, and threatened her with blackmail and assault before the OnlyFans content creator managed to remotely lock and wipe her device. Given that she was filming her encounters with each person waiting in line for their turn with Blue, the potential fallout could have been disastrous; privacy violations are often the professional kiss of death for someone in her line of work. And once that ship has sailed, the financial repercussions are pretty insurmountable.
Sex workers— especially those who go about their profession online— face a significantly higher risk of privacy invasions, harassment, and exploitation. Content being stolen and shared without consent is only the beginning of what most adults only content creators fear when they share their work with their clients. The stigma surrounding sex work, and the lack of legal protection make seeking justice an extra hard hill to climb.
So… why does this matter? You shouldn’t have to be a sex worker to get that data breach = bad. Privacy concerns and digital threats affect everyone. Anyone who has a smartphone— and very few people still have anything else— is vulnerable to potential hackers, putting them at risk for identity theft— and yes— blackmail. All it takes to copy your social media accounts is access to a selfie, your name, and your friends list. All easily found within seconds of unlocking your phone. You don’t have to have a platform or a following for leaked or stolen data to ruin your day.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Use multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
Back up and encrypt sensitive files regularly.
Use extreme caution when sharing your location or personal information on social media.
Enable remote-wiping features on all of your digital devices.
Whether you’re protecting a content creation business, or just sharing pictures from your most recent trip to Disney, a little extra caution goes a long way.
We’re grateful that Bonnie Blue was able to act quickly, and salvage her UK trip, and we’re hopeful that she’ll be a little more judicious about sharing her whereabouts in the future.
