Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #484

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Stalker Finds Pop Star’s Home By Studying The Reflections On Per Pupils In Selfies
By Associated Press
TOKYO — A man arrested on sus- picion of stalking a female pop idol used the reflec- tions of her pupils in photos she shared on social media and Google Street View to find where she lived.
Tokyo police declined com- ment on the specifics of the investigation but confirmed Friday that 26-year-old Hibiki Sato was arrested Sept. 17 on suspicion of indecent behavior in connection with stalking and causing injuries to the 20-year-old woman.
The police offi- cial, who spoke on condition of anonymity as is often policy at Japanese bureaucracies, said the case
was related to the reports about a stalker and pupil images.
Police described Sato as an “avid fan.”
Public broadcast- er NHK and other Japanese media reported this week that details in the woman’s selfies were used to identify the train station she
frequented. They said Sato looked at other images she shared, such as her apartment, to figure out where she lived.
Police say he hurt her and committed inde- cent acts, such as groping her after accosting her from behind and knocking her down.
Japan has many young female performance groups.
Tokyo Shimbun, a metropolitan daily, which reported on the stalking case, warned readers even casual self- ies may show surrounding buildings that will allow people to identify the loca- tion of the pho-
tos.
It also said peo- ple shouldn’t make the V-sign with their hand, which Japanese often do in pho- tos, because fin- gerprints could be stolen.
Cyberstalking has been a prob- lem for years, with criminals and perpetrators of domestic vio-
lence using hack- ing, clandestine activation of microphones and cameras and other methods to track their vic- tims.
It’s unclear how prevalent the use of high-resolution photos to locate potential victims might be.
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