Two months after Gabrielle Union became a victim of the celebrity nude photo hacking scandal, the actress is speaking out a second time about the violation of her privacy.
The 42-year-old actress hit the stage with editor-in-chief Joanna Coles at Cosmopolitan Magazine's Fun Fearless Life Conference on Sunday, and discussed the upsetting incident, saying that she "didn't do anything wrong."
"No matter what people describe to me, 'It's your fault, you're stupid to take nude photos, that's what happens when you're a celebrity'-all this nonsense...they're criminals," she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "What you do with your own body is your choice. Period. There's no gray matter there. And when someone takes your choice away and your power away over your own body, it's a crime. Period. A hacking scandal? We're lessening it, making it more palatable for mass consumption, but it's a crime."
The actress believes that the response would have been different if the victims were not celebrities.
"Over a hundred women were targeted - if these women weren't celebrities, there would be much more outrage," she said, "But because we're female celebrities, 'we weren't good victims and we enjoyed it, all PR is good PR.' That's what they say."
Union's comments come after she penned a powerful essay for Cosmopolitan's December issue about the unfortunate event, which was made known to Union after her honeymoon with husband and NBA superstar Dwyane Wade.
The "Being Mary Jane" actress reportedly contacted the FBI after her photos were leaked. However, the actress slammed Google and Apple for not taking more responsibility for the leak.
"I would have hoped that the tech community would realize this is a crime... Google wasn't forcing these images off their sites, or even Apple - all of the 100 women who were targeted were Apple users. You would think the companies would be more helpful in taking the illegally-obtained images down, and they were not as helpful as you'd think as consumers," she said.
"For us, it was pictures, but once you realize anything you do on your phone... anyone can get access to it at anytime if they want it. We have to, as consumers, ask that our data be protected, and the companies we give our money to are equally as invested in our privacy as we are."
For the advice she would give to women who face similar challenges in the future, Union said, "I want you all to be the woman who did something about it, the woman who didn't take it lying down, the woman who still accomplished all her goals. That is a much better story to tell."
