A few months back, I had a few harsh words for Valleywag editor Ryan Tate over his decision to pay a paparazzo for photographs of Mark Zuckerberg’s house and girlfriend.
Specifically I said…
GO FUCK YOURSELF. I mean, seriously, Ryan, how did you even write those words without slitting your wrists and bleeding out pure shame onto your copy of Pageviews For Dummies? Even if you accept that Facebook’s handling of user privacy was a misstep (which I don’t entirely), to argue that it’s analogous to following someone around with a camera all week and publicising his home address on the Internet just defies belief. Especially when that person is a billionaire who is more of a target than most for the assorted freaks and lunatics who slosh about online.
Tate himself was unable – or unwilling – to respond to my criticisms, or to offer any kind of defense for his actions. Instead he left it to his boss, Nick Denton, to reply. In an email, Denton wrote…
Zuckerberg is the Angelina Jolie of the internet. The media interest in him is undeniable. His lovers, friends and acquaintances — like those of any other celebrity — are caught up in the vortex. He has to make a choice; and they have to make a choice. And none of the choices — retreat from the public eye, abandonment of friendship — are palatable.
Indeed, rather than reining back his obsession with the Facebook founder’s whereabouts, Tate went all out.
On January 13th, he published a follow-up post (which I won’t link to) identifying Zuckerberg’s new address, complete with a photograph which clearly showed a house number…. (I’ve blurred the photo in the grab below.)
So what happened next? Yesterday Valleywag, with not one single word of self-awareness, published this story…
Quote…
Mark Zuckerberg Has an Actual Facebook Stalker
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken out a restraining order against an alleged stalker, a 31-year-old man named Pradeep Manukonda… Manukonda’s been trying to get in touch with Zuckerberg since January, showing up at Facebook offices, and, in once instance, at Zuck’s home in Palo Alto… Manukonda has been ordered to stay 300 yards away from both Zuckerbergs and Mark’s girlfriend Priscilla Chan until a hearing later this month.
According to TMZ, Manukonda showed up at Zuckerberg’s house on January 24th – eleven days after Tate posted its location online.
So there you go, Ryan. Q.E.D. Hope you’re pleased with yourself.
