Stalking the stalker

I've never really been "stalked" in the literal sense. And I'm quite grateful for that. I have had a few instances that bordered on semi-disturbing or slightly invasive, but nothing reaching the levels of psychosis.

There were a couple times when I was trying to avoid a certain guy, and the guy asked a mutual friend for my new number or what time I'd be back from doing X. The mutual friend unknowingly supplied the information and the guy was then able to get a hold of me.

Another example dates back when we used to use UNIX-based systems to email. Through this system, one was able to "finger" other people's accounts and see the last time they logged on and whether or not they had new mail. I had a friend who would send me email and, when I didn't reply within twenty-four hours, would finger my account to see if I had logged on and if so, whether I had new mail. When she saw I had "no new mail," she immediately barraged me with emails asking why I hadn't replied yet. What the UNIX system however neglected to reveal was that sometimes, people logged on or even checked their email, yet did not read ALL their email, as was the case with my friend. I also didn't feel the need to enlighten her that I myself, through a simple function, could ascertain who fingered my account.

Yep, the stalkers can be stalked.

So when it comes to the internet, there is a overwhelming sense of anonymity. In the case of Blogger, for example, anonymous people post entries on their blogs and anonymous readers post comments. Virtually all bloggers have varying programs on their site monitoring who visits their site. I recall reading one friend's blog that was receiving increasingly hostile comments from "Anonymous." At first, the friend took it lightly. Yet when "Anonymous" became plain obnoxious, my friend casually replied posting various personal facts about "Anonymous," about his ISP, where he lived, etc. "Anonymous" soon shut the hell up.

People also create fake email addresses and send anonymous emails to other people. This too can be circumvented. For example, Yahoo and Hotmail both allow people to see the full header of every email they receive, including the sender's IP address. Perhaps a particularly diligent stalker will hide his IP address, set up a dummy domain, or log into a public portal. Unfortunately for these stalkers, even emails sent from these means can be traced. With a bit of detective work and perhaps some monetary investment, every stalker can be unmasked. A public portal at a library or a Kinko's or random kiosk is traceable. A hidden or faked IP address can be revealed. This is especially true if the victim of threatening emails enlists the help of the local authorities or, unluckily for the stalker, federal authorities.

It is particularly satisfying to unmask someone who thinks they got away with something. It is even more satisfying to let them do it for a while, watch them gleefully stalk, and all the while know exactly who they are without them knowing you know.

Yep, the stalkers can be stalked.