We do, of course, reap a host of benefits that couldn't have been even contemplated less than a generation ago; from cashless transactions, to banking, to video calls on our mobile phones.

The tech giants like to sprout their gospel that users' private details are securely locked away, encrypted and hidden behind walls that no one can reach.

But there have been spectacular failures, as many experts have warned would eventuate. No person and no company is infallible. The data breaches connected with Facebook in recent times are a clear example.

It quite rightly horrifies many of us that all that personal data we entrust to others with the guarantee in return that it's safe might not be so safe at all.

And this is why the issue of revenge pornography takes those fears to another level.

Again, the assumption by people that it's fine to share intimate images with someone they trust because they're not sending these photographs to anyone else is doomed to a less-than-ideal outcome.

The technology, for one, isn't so foolproof. And there's the propensity for some, often in the midst of the break-up of a relationship, to break a sacred trust and send these images to others, or even worse, post the images online for all to see.

Thankfully our legislators woke to the potential for ruined lives. The problem though is that many do not know that sharing intimate images with others, motivated by revenge, is against the law. As we reported in The Border Mail over the weekend, such cases are regularly appearing in our courts.

It is a terrible predicament for the victims and certainly a salutatory lesson for those unscrupulous, spiteful people who embark on such crimes. It is also a salient reminder of our own responsibilities.

The pressure of maintaining social status among teenagers in particular can be something of incredible pressure. It is our job then to have conversations with young people so they don't fall into this image-sharing trap.

Have a great week ahead.

Xavier Mardling

The Border Mail, editor