AceShowbiz -

After penning an essay for the December issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, Gabrielle Union shared (via The Hollywood Reporter) new details about her nude photo scandal at the Fun Fearless Life conference in New York City on Sunday, November 9. She told Cosmopolitan's editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, "I didn't do anything wrong."

She continued, "No matter what people describe to me, 'It's your fault, you're stupid to take nude photos, that's what happens when you're a celebrity' - all this nonsense... they're criminals. What you do with your own body is your choice. Period. There's no gray matter there. And when someone takes your choice away and your power away over your own body, it's a crime. Period. A hacking scandal? We're lessening it, making it more palatable for mass consumption, but it's a crime."

The "Think Like a Man" actress believes there would be much more outrage if the victims weren't considered celebrities. "Over a hundred women were targeted - if these women weren't celebrities, there would be much more outrage," she said, "But because we're female celebrities, 'we weren't good victims and we enjoyed it, all PR is good PR.' That's what they say."

Gabrielle slammed companies that were accessible in the leak. "I would have hoped that the tech community would realize this is a crime... Google wasn't forcing these images off their sites, or even Apple - all of the 100 women who were targeted were Apple users," she shared, "You would think the companies would be more helpful in taking the illegally-obtained images down, and they were not as helpful as you'd think as consumers."

The "Cadillac Records" actress added, "You'd hope they'd care as much about you as you do about the new iPhone 6. For us, it was pictures, but once you realize anything you do on your phone, ... anyone can get access to it at anytime if they want it. We have to, as consumers, ask that our data be protected, and the companies we give our money to are equally as invested in our privacy as we are."

Gabrielle found out about the nude photo scandal one day after her wedding to NBA superstar Dwyane Wade. "The day after my wedding, we were all sitting around, rehashing the best day of my life, and I get a text from my team that there's an article that over 100 female celebrities had been targeted," she shared.

It wasn't until three weeks later that her own photos were leaked. "In the moment, I froze," she recalled, "I was mortified, terrified... I just didn't know what to do. I felt I had given so much of myself, but I had saved a little bit for myself and for my husband, and they had taken that from me."

She got more support than she could ever imagine from her husband, her "super Catholic" mother and extended family. "Everyone I thought would have a negative reaction or blame me in some way, or kindly position it as something I could have avoided - no one did," the "Bring It On" actress said, "Everyone that I love and respect looked at it for what it is, which is a crime."

Asked about advice she would give to other women who may find themselves in similar situations, Gabrielle stated, "I'm not gonna lie and say, 'Well, just get over it.' You're gonna be anxious, you're gonna have moments of fear. If you can't have a reasonable conversation with your ex, a lot of us can't, empower yourself. Take the control back... Are we gonna let this define us or are we gonna be proactive?"

"I want you all to be the woman who did something about it, the woman who didn't take it lying down, the woman who still accomplished all her goals. That is a much better story to tell," she added.