Best-selling author Adele Parks has revealed how easily she uncovered personal information about a complete stranger online, and the frightening implications for all of us. In the name of research for her new psychological thriller about obsession, Parks set out to see just how vulnerable we are to someone tracking us.
She selected a friend of a friend on Facebook, someone she had never met, spoken to, messaged or even 'Liked' a post from. Within a few hours, she was able to discover where they were born and lived now, where their surviving parent and brother lived, their profession, and where they worked, including the address. She also discovered what school and university they had attended, and unearthed photos of them aged 14, dressed for their prom, at music festivals, and with friends in pubs.
All from open sources
All of this was done entirely legally through so-called open sources. No money changed hands, and no private detectives were involved. Just Parks and her laptop. She even identified which festivals they had been to and, on two occasions, which pubs they were pictured in. She found their Pinterest boards and knew what tattoo design they favoured, and that they used to sell used clothes on Vinted.
Technically, stalking is the repeated, unwanted pattern of intrusive behaviour which causes a victim to feel fear, alarm, or distress. Since her 'research victim' has no idea she exists and she will never approach them, Parks acknowledges she is not in fact a stalker, but she saw multiple opportunities to involve herself in their life, overtly or with the appearance of coincidence.
More than 1.5 million cases recorded
More than 1.5 million cases of stalking were recorded last year in the UK. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, young people are especially vulnerable due to the amount of time they spend online, which blurs the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. The CPS launched its first Stalking Action Plan in March, designed to equip prosecutors to tackle the offence of stalking in the digital age. The number of stalking offences charged reached a record high last year – 7,168.
Parks notes that while stalking is a crime experienced by both men and women, the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that women are more likely to be victims. One in five women (20.2%) have experienced stalking at some point since the age of 16, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, compared to 8.7% of men.
Categories of stalkers
Psychologists have classified stalkers into five main categories. Those that feel rejected and are driven by the breakdown of a close relationship might seek to reconcile, intimidate, or exact revenge. Intimacy Seekers are motivated by loneliness and a delusional belief that the victim is their destined soulmate. Incompetent Suitors seek a relationship but lack the social skills to successfully construct one. Those that are resentful act out of a perceived grievance or injustice, with the aim to frighten and distress the victim. Predatory stalkers spy on the victim to plan and prepare for a direct attack.
Parks concludes that stalking should never be normalised. It is not funny and it is not healthy.
