When the internet sleuths take it too far

With Baby Reindeer at the very crest of the Zeitgeist right now, interest in the number one Netflix show telling the true story of a comedian and his female stalker is at an all-time high.

This week things took an unsavoury turn when internet sleuths sought out, identified and named comedian Richard Gadd’s stalker, despite Gadd himself noting that she is every bit as much of a vulnerable victim as he is.

Taking to X, Gadd noted: “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of our show.” And yet this injection of common sense didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of certain commenters determined to wring yet more ‘entertainment’ out of the situation.

In a strange way, it calls to mind the recent flurry of internet activity around Kate Middleton, who found herself at the centre of worldwide speculation and conspiracy theories before her cancer diagnosis was revealed. There’s a certain amount of ‘clout’ on offer for those on the internet who are able to look beyond any given story/trend/phenomenon and use their cunning to find out more information that’s currently on offer. But a stalker getting stalked online feels like a bridge too far.

I admittedly enjoyed the ‘Where’s Kate?’ rabbit hole as much as anyone else, but the fullness of time offered a sobering reminder that amid these feverish moments, there are real human beings that are the collateral damage.

A stalker who evidently dealt with an element of mental illness certainly strikes me as someone vulnerable, and not at all equipped to deal with the sheer might of internet sleuths. Surely compromising her privacy is not worth the likes on social media?