A Matter of Privacy

Initially I wasn’t too keen on following the Hayden Kho – Katrina Halili sex video brouhaha because frankly, granting that they are Pinoy celebs, I hardly knew them. My interest was aroused when the Phil. Senate conducted an inquiry into the matter, which made me entertain thoughts that this imbroglio might have repercussions on the national security of the country 🙂 It turned out it had nothing to do with the affairs of the state nor did it involve a high ranking govt official. The proponents of the inquiry were ex-celeb stooges who became senators because of their pretty faces. Not suprisingly, the inquiry turned out to be showbiz like with the media providing coverage like it was a national event. It even became more pedestrian and comical when the the investigation was led by a sanctimonious prick with the likes of Bong Revilla who isn’t exactly representative of morality with his checkered history of womanizing in his celeb days.

But let me cut it short and let my spiel out. The senate inquiry of a leaked sex video involving celebrities is totally uncalled for, a waste of taxpayers time and money. Senate and congressional inquiries are only applicable to matters that threaten or affect the national security of the nation. This matter should have been handled by the local courts, who would determine those responsible for malicious intent and exact punishment on those found guilty. Secondly, people must contain their anger and stop barking at the wrong tree. Two adults who willfully consent to taking a sex video of themselves, for their own private consumption do not commit a crime. It is senseless to point a finger at Hayden Kho, accusing him of gross immorality – unless you are speaking from a religious morals standpoint which you shouldn’t – because the real issue here is who broke the law. Who leaked the video on the internet ? Was there evidence of blackmail ? This is what the senate inquiry is about and not – why the f**k did you do the video Hayden? Portraying Halili as a hapless victim doesn’t help either because we all know that it takes two to tango and very likely she was a willing accomplish to the video shoot.

I could not think of the motivation for the video leak to be more than money and jealousy. Money is for a blackmailer who may have asked for money in exchange of burning the disc and jealousy for someone who intends to wreck havoc on another person’s reputation, so vicious and evil, stopping short of killing him. I remember the case of actress Pamela Anderson and then hubby rocker Tommy Lee whose sex video tape was stolen and sold on the internet. The couple did the unexpected which was to license the release of the tape in their names which meant that all monetary proceeds from the sale went to their pockets. The thieves ended up empty handed. The jealousy motive for the Kho sex video scandal needs to be further pursued because the whole scheme might be a sinister plot for character assassination. Someone is out to cut Hayden Kho’s balls from the looks of it and it could be for all we know payback time for him. Who might it likely be?

Last but not least, with the proliferation of still and video cameras in cell phones nowadays, be careful. Don’t lose your frigging phone because if you do, you’re dead. Don’t store sensitive photos and videos on websites that offer file storage services, even if you pay because if you do, you’re not only dumb but crazy. Learn to encrypt sensitive files but don’t bet your house on it especially if it is not in your physical safekeeping. Don’t think that keeping a sensitive photo in your hard disk is safe. Your PC is susceptible to being forayed by hackers on the internet without your knowledge. Even if you use a firewall, it is not guaranteed because sometimes hackers can slip through the cracks. Encrypt your hard disk, esp if you have a laptop because even if you lose your laptop, you know that it will not be a cakewalk for the finder to read your disk. Use best in class hard disk encryption software – not those freeware or shareware ones. Better to be safe than sorry. Now, don’t you think that I have sleazy videos on my laptop 🙂 It so happens that my company issued laptop underwent a secure build process before it was handed over to me. Call it paranoia but financial institutions are indeed paranoid about security.

I heard the RP govt is soliciting the help of Uncle Sam to help track the identity of the person who uploaded the video on the internet. Unless the culprit is a sophisticated as those “phishing” bandits who ply their criminal trade using servers from Iran and North Korea, I see no reason why he can’t be nailed down. Problem is – would Uncle Sam waste time with a womanizing jerk who lives with a woman as old as his mother and screws other women left and right ?

WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN

I am absolutely convinced that the mental state of the person plays a big part in winning any game, let alone meeting his expectations in such a game. But most of us are prone to being tricked into spending our hard earned bucks to get that “extra advantage” to improve our performance be it gizmos, physical training, diet or combinations thereof. Lately I was shocked to watch a pro golfer revealing the secret of his improved performance on TV – a mouthguard. What ?? Wearing a mouthguard while playing golf ? This sounds absolutely crazy but look now, this isn’t a mouthguard you can buy off the local sports store. This has to be fitted by a dentist ! It supposedly gives you more strength and balance.  I thought those magnetic braclets and necklaces to stabilize your nerves were weird enough but a mouthguard ? Oh well, we are all suckers to these kinds of things aren’t we? The moment we see someone swear on the efficiency of newly found toy, we all follow. We always seek that magic potion to leapfrog our goals. In the meantime, the world doesn’t run short of enterprising minds who feed on our gullibility and vanity 😉