A little breezy with just the perfect dash of sunshine – the morning was truly divine. But not for Raghav. It has been days since he hasn’t been able to muster the courage of going to his office. He can’t even clearly remember when was it that he last had a hearty laugh or even an open-hearted conversation.

 

Two months back, little had he known that his cheerful little world would turn upside down! It all started with his wife coming up with the idea of capturing their intimate moments on their phone. She had heard of it from a friend and found the idea to be enthralling. Raghav agreed, and he couldn’t have been more amused. It was as if they had entered a new avenue of fantasies. Unfortunately, not for long.

 

A week later, an office colleague was fidgeting with Raghav’s phone when he found the video and forwarded it to himself. And then began a series of harrowing calls from him, something that shook Raghav and his wife to the core. They simply can’t seem to think of a way out.

 

Something that was supposed to add spice to their relationship, took away everything they had.

 

This is the truth that many couples endure. No matter how stimulating the filming of your personal moments is, when exposed, it can have some relentless consequences.

 

There are couples who have blamed each other for it, for the lack of better judgment, and ended up divorced. Then, there are those, who like Raghav, have been blackmailed by hackers, stalkers and thieves alike, not only for money but for sexual favours and beyond. For all we know, the list of consequences is rather endless.

 

Social stigma and depression is just the tip of the iceberg. Many couples have been pushed out of their homes, and many others have had to flee their cities to start new lives with changed identities. Then, of course, there are innumerable people who just couldn’t bear it anymore and chose to end their lives.

 

To even think of the trauma that they may have suffered, is truly spine-chilling.

 

Now, doesn’t this astounding idea of capturing those beautiful intimate moments seem to lose its charm? Well, that’s what the idea is. Safe sex isn’t just about keeping yourself safe from STDs and unwanted pregnancies, but also from uncalled for psychological trauma.

 

Filming intimate moments with one’s partner (with consent) is something that captures the imagination of hundreds and thousands of people across India. More often than not, the thrill that being filmed adds to the sensory pleasures, coaxes people in doing so. In other cases, factors such as a desire to experiment, or that to spice up the sex life leads couples to capture themselves on cameras and smartphones. In some cases, something as irrelevant as peer pressure can also force people to indulge in this act.

 

While intimacy is a personal concern, what makes filming it on our phones an issue is the extremely susceptible technology of today. Thanks to the constant connectivity with the internet, our gadgets are interlinked in a way we can’t even begin to understand. Access to the data on our phones as well as the transfer of information is as easy as child’s play. And passwords? Well, we all know of hackers who can crack them in the blink of an eye. Don’t we?

 

All of this leaves us extremely vulnerable. This is something that has been brilliantly pointed out in an ad recently aired by Manforce Condoms. Watch the Video.

 

A couple’s intimacy is only charming until it isn’t out in the open for the voyeurs of the world to devour, or for the evil minds to benefit from the same.

 

So, the next time around the idea of filming your intimate encounters pops-up, make sure you do so with a device that is not connected to the internet like your digicam or a SLR. Even better, don’t film the act at all. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry. And as the ad mentioned above suggests, #ShutThePhoneUp.