On August 22, 2017, news outlets reported that private intimate photographs involving Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods had been posted online after an alleged hack of Vonn’s personal phone. Vonn’s representative called the publication an “outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy,” while Woods’ attorney said takedown notices had been sent to websites carrying the material.
On August 22, 2017, several major news outlets reported that private intimate photographs involving Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and golfer Tiger Woods had been published online after an alleged hack of Vonn’s personal phone. Vonn’s representative called the publication an “outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy” and said she intended to pursue “all necessary and appropriate” legal action.
The reports concerned photographs said to have been made while Vonn and Woods were dating. The couple had publicly ended their relationship in 2015. The incident became another prominent example of how stolen or improperly shared private images can be republished far beyond the original breach.
What was reported in 2017
CBS News, ABC News, Us Weekly and other outlets reported that intimate images involving Vonn and Woods had appeared online. Contemporary coverage described the material as having been obtained from a hacked phone or cellphone.
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That wording matters. The public reports reviewed for this account did not establish the technical method used to gain access, identify the person responsible, or provide an independently verified forensic account. They also did not establish that the images came from cloud storage, identify the first website to publish them, or prove that a particular hacking technique was used.
The reports said the images dated from the period when Vonn and Woods were a couple. Their later breakup did not erase the privacy interests attached to material created or shared in a private context. Consent to create or send an intimate image is not consent to publish it for an unknown audience.
Vonn’s representative condemned the publication
Vonn’s representative said that stealing and illegally publishing private intimate photographs was an “outrageous and despicable invasion of privacy.” The representative said Vonn would take “all necessary and appropriate” legal action and argued that both the people responsible and websites encouraging the conduct should be prosecuted.
The statement focused on two separate forms of alleged wrongdoing: the unauthorized access to private material and the decision by other parties to distribute, promote or profit from it. Republishing the material would not become lawful simply because someone else had already posted it.
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Woods’ attorney said takedown notices were sent
Woods’ attorney separately condemned the publication of the allegedly hacked photographs as an invasion of privacy. According to contemporaneous reporting by TheWrap, Woods’ legal team said it would aggressively pursue websites that capitalized on or encouraged publication and had sent takedown notices to websites carrying the material.
TheWrap reported that many of those sites had complied or planned to comply. A takedown request is not the same as a court judgment, however, and the coverage reviewed here does not establish that Vonn or Woods obtained a final judgment, that a particular lawsuit was filed and resolved, or that criminal charges were brought specifically over this incident.
What is confirmed—and what remains unknown
| Reported or documented | Not established by the reviewed coverage |
|---|---|
| News outlets reported the online publication of private intimate images involving Vonn and Woods on August 22, 2017. | The precise technical method of compromise. |
| Contemporary reports described the images as allegedly obtained through a hack of Vonn’s phone. | The identity of the person who accessed or published the material. |
| Vonn’s representative condemned the conduct and threatened legal action. | That a specific perpetrator was prosecuted or convicted. |
| Woods’ attorney said takedown notices had been sent to websites carrying the images. | That either Vonn or Woods secured a final court judgment in connection with the incident. |
| Reports said the photographs dated from the period when Vonn and Woods were dating. | That the incident involved the same actor, method or infrastructure as the separate 2014 celebrity-account compromise. |
A case of image-based abuse, not celebrity gossip
The central issue was not the content of the photographs but the alleged loss of control over private material and its subsequent nonconsensual publication. The term image-based abuse describes the distribution or threatened distribution of intimate images without the subject’s consent. It can affect anyone, regardless of fame, relationship status or the circumstances in which an image was originally made.
A private photograph does not become public property because it exists digitally. Nor does a former relationship provide permission to redistribute intimate material. Treating the publication as entertainment can compound the original harm by driving more copies, searches and reposts.
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This incident should also be kept distinct from the separate wave of celebrity account compromises commonly associated with 2014. The sources reviewed for this account do not establish that the two events involved the same attacker, technical method or online infrastructure.
How people can reduce the risk of a phone or account compromise
The available reporting does not show how Vonn’s phone was allegedly accessed, so no particular security measure can be said to have prevented this incident. The following steps are general guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Apple, not a reconstruction of the event.
- Install operating-system and app updates promptly. Updates often address security flaws that attackers may otherwise exploit.
- Use a strong device passcode. Avoid short, reused or easily guessed codes, and protect the associated SIM or cellular account with a separate strong PIN where the carrier supports it.
- Review account security settings. Check the list of signed-in devices, recovery methods and recent security activity. Remove devices you do not recognize and change credentials if compromise is suspected.
- Turn on multifactor authentication. Prefer an authenticator app or security key where available, particularly for an email account that can reset other passwords.
- Limit unnecessary access. Review which apps can reach photos, files, contacts, location data and local networks. Disable permissions that an app does not need.
- Use device-protection features. On supported Apple devices, Lost Mode and Stolen Device Protection can help if a phone is lost or stolen. Availability depends on the device, software version and account configuration.
- Encrypt devices and sensitive files. Encryption can reduce the exposure created by unauthorized physical access, although it does not protect an account whose credentials have been stolen or a file that has already been shared.
- Preserve evidence if an image is misused. Save dates, usernames, platform notices and relevant URLs without downloading or forwarding intimate material. Report the post through the platform’s privacy or nonconsensual-intimate-image process, and consider qualified legal or victim-support advice.
The lasting lesson
The 2017 reports about Vonn and Woods illustrated a recurring privacy problem: the harm can continue after the initial unauthorized access, as copies spread across websites and social platforms. A responsible account should identify the alleged breach and the public responses without reproducing the material, directing readers toward it or treating it as a spectacle.
What can be stated with confidence is that Vonn’s representative and Woods’ attorney publicly condemned the alleged publication and pursued removal efforts. What cannot responsibly be added is an unverified technical explanation, an accusation against a named individual or a claim of a final legal outcome that the available reporting does not document.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How were the private images allegedly obtained?
The reviewed reports said the images were allegedly obtained through a hack of Vonn’s personal phone or cellphone. They did not establish the precise technical method, whether cloud storage was involved or who accessed the device or account.
Was this the same incident as the 2014 celebrity photo hack?
No. The available coverage does not establish that the 2017 incident involved the same attacker, method or infrastructure as the separate celebrity-account compromise widely reported in 2014.
What legal protections exist now for nonconsensual intimate-image publication?
The U.S. Department of Justice says federal law now provides a civil cause of action for sharing intimate images without consent, and the FTC says the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to remove qualifying images and known identical copies within 48 hours after a valid request. These later developments should not be assumed to apply retroactively to the 2017 incident.
What should someone do if private intimate images are published without consent?
Do not search for, download or forward the material. Preserve limited evidence such as dates, usernames and URLs, report the post through the platform’s privacy process and seek advice from a qualified lawyer or victim-support organization.
The Bottom Line
The 2017 incident was reported as the alleged theft and nonconsensual publication of private intimate images involving Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods. Their representatives condemned the conduct and sought legal and takedown remedies, but the public record reviewed here does not establish the precise hacking method, identify the perpetrator or document a final prosecution or court judgment.
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