This. Is. Horrifying.
A Japanese pop star was stalked and attacked by an obsessed fan who used the REFLECTIONS IN HER EYES on social media posts to track her down!
*Jaw dropping, right?!*
The stalker analyzed the pop star’s selfies to distinguish the scenery her eyes reflected, determining which train station she traveled in and out of.
Then used Google Street View to triangulate the landmarks . . . eventually figuring out the exact building the J-Pop star was living in based on details from videos she’d posted on social media . . . then allegedly ATTACKED her as she entered her building.
The stalker fled from the scene, but was able to be identified thanks to security cameras on the property, and is looking at forcible indecency charges.
One of the investigators on the case is warning people about being “fully aware that posting pictures and video on social media runs the risk of divulging personal data.”
DUDE FOUND HER FROM THE REFLECTION IN HER EYES!!
We’re going to need a second . . .
*exhales*
The sad truth is we’re living in a digital age, more open and vulnerable than ever . . . and there are new ways for criminals, villains, and evil-doers to do their evil-doing thing.
If you think only celebrities run the risk of being stalked and need to be smarter about how they use social media . . . you would be drastically WRONG!
No one is exempt.
We never know what evil could be just around the corner, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Stalkers. Thieves. Other malicious people with bad intentions.
One might think the easy answer is to just cancel social media . . . but social media isn’t all bad.
The cool thing about social media is that we can connect with others, learn new things, get information, be comforted, live vicariously through others, and so much more.
The best thing, in my opinion, is we truly get an opportunity to connect with the people in our lives who can’t be in our daily lives — like, family and friends who live a distance away, but we get to feel closer to because of shared photos and experiences.
Vacation photos are fun to share, and (unless you’re the jealous type) see.
*Plus, other places make for better photo opps. It’s just a fact.
**Plus+, reflections happen — sunglasses, windows, apparently eyes . . .)
However, when we post these vacation photos while on vacation . . . we’re telling our followers (and then some) “I’M NOT HOME!!!”
The same thought process should go when you’re in town, but out of the house, too.
Say your best friend goes to a concert, and they start posting about it while there. It’s not just the people who follow them that are seeing their posts. Think about the hashtags they probably used. They likely tagged the location, and who knows if their geo-tagging is set to do it automatically. Now, someone in the area of their home comes across their post and decides to . . . check in on their empty home.
Heaven forbid your friend has someone with malicious intent toward them, and sees where they are and goes to find them.
*No one thinks it could happen to them . . . until it does.*
We can’t control what others do, but we can better help ourselves in what we do with prevention practices.
Here are three more tips:
1. Pay attention to the whole picture before you post — don’t just peep your own pretty face or what you deem to be the focal point. Do look at backgrounds and everything else in the photo you captured. This goes for videos too. Listen to audio and make sure you’re not capturing any other unintentional signals to harm-doers.
2. Go before you post — don’t be at the location you’re posting about it when you are posting, and be conscious about what you post when it comes to your routine locations. Stalkers aren’t an instantaneous thing. They do their research. They watch your routine.
3. No home alone posts — posting about being home alone is info that could fall into the wrong hands. If there is a predator who comes across your “I’m home alone and miss my boo [sad face emoji]” post and is able to locate you, guess who their victim is. This is also something to keep in mind if you’re the person who left someone else home alone.
4. Wait for vacation to end — as stated earlier, wait to be done with vacation before posting about being on vacation. Posting vacation photos/videos, tagging locations, etc is a no-no when it comes to protecting your home. Keep in mind, it’s also not OK to tag other people when they’re on vacation while on vacation. Oh, and don’t post/tweet about upcoming travel plans, either. It’s the same thing.
Be smart. Stay safe. We love you!
(Yahoo)
