The German Commissioner-designate for the Digital Economy and Society portfolio, Gunther Oettinger, was interviewed by MEPs this week as part of hearings to evaluate European Commissioners. Amongst his comments was the statement pertaining to the leaked celebrity “selfies” portraying nude celebrities and models. The conservative politician said that “whoever is stupid enough to put a naked photo of themselves on the Internet, cannot expect us to protect them.”

“Digital technologies are changing the world and our lives completely,” he said, adding that people can only be protected from their stupidity to a certain extent.

His main area of concern was copyright enfringement. “I will commit to working on a draft law, finding a balance for European copyright law in the context of the digital world,” said Mr. Oettinger. He also said that the Eu draft regulation on data protection has already been tabled and he said that consultations would begin as soon as possible.