Smartphone 101 - don't take nudes

Never record material that would embarrass you if it goes public - don't take or send nudes.

That’s one of the tips from tech guru Arthur Goldstuck following the leaking of a video showing home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba performing a sexual act.

Gigaba extended an apology to his family and the "South African public for the pain and embarrassment the likely wider distribution of this private material will cause".

Gigaba alleges the video was stolen when his "communication was illegally intercepted" and his "phone got hacked in 2016/17".

Goldstuck advised that potentially embarrassing content should never be sent via the private messaging channel on any social network.

"It is too easy to hit the wrong button and send it publicly. Many political careers have been ended in this way. In most cases‚ the sender had first claimed being hacked‚ but has usually been revealed to have been careless."

Sending cringe-worthy material via email could also be dangerous to your reputation. "Never send such material by email. Aside from leaving an audit trail‚ it is too easy for predictive text to change the address without it being noticed‚" Goldstuck said.

Always protect your phone content with at least a pin code‚ as well as fingerprint or face recognition if the phone allows.

"Even if your phone is protected‚ ensure that the screen timeout is set for a minute or less‚ in case you put it down and someone picks it up while you're not watching‚" Goldstuck advised.