TV host Bec Judd says “creepy” paparazzi have been “accessing our private travel itineraries for years”, amid reports photographers are hacking airline passenger lists.
“In the past I’ve refrained from posting our holiday location and snaps on social media until after we’ve departed in order to enjoy our family holiday without being stalked by paps,” the 34-year-old mum-of-four wrote on her Instagram story yesterday, under news headlines of paparazzi misconduct.
“But alas, there they would be, waiting for us at the airport as soon as we arrive. We’ve known they’ve been accessing our private travel itineraries for years. Creeps.”
The paparazzi tactic has been described as a security threat to airlines, AAP reports. And, according to The Australian, the flight itineraries of Naomi Watts, Rebel Wilson and Nicole Kidman hand Keith Urban have all been accessed by photographers.
The itineraries are believed to have been sourced from global booking system Sabre, which is used by Virgin. Though a competing system, Armadeus, used by Qantas, is also said to be vulnerable to being hacked.
With exclusive celebrity shots often fetching tens of thousands of dollars, private travel itineraries are an extremely valuable tool for paparazzi.
In a statement, Qantas said the safety of its passengers was paramount.
"If breaches are reported to us, we will immediately act upon them including referring them to the authorities," it said in a statement.
How Paparazzi photos actually work. Post continues below.
Judd, Wilson, Kidman and Watts aren't the only ones frustrated with the snapping cameras of paparazzi. And celebrities aren't just targeted at airports, either.
In October last year, Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage turned the tables, snapping a photographer hiding behind a tree at the dog park she frequents.
"There’s a paparazzi in the tree at the dog park," she posted to Instagram alongside an image of the photographer's hiding place. "And I’m not even the news this week."
Dog walking, holidaying... celebrities are real people, too. They just need to be given the space to live like it.
Top Comments
I’m not sure anyone really cares where Bec Judd holidays....she posts it all on social media or talks about it enough in the media. When you share so much of your life on social media all the time, it’s a risk you take that some crazies will view that info differently.
But... all the holiday photos I have ever seen of her and Chris in Noosa - one of their regular favourite spots - are so clearly staged and posed!
Yes, it must be terrible to have other outlets a) publishing pics that aren't staged and curated and b) making money from publishing pics that could be otherwise be made on one's own SM accounts. Seems it's OK for celebrities to turn a profit from putting pics of themselves out in the public domain, but not if anyone else wants a share of the same business.