I have a car which can do over 156 miles an hour. Somewhere in the attic I have a First World War Italian Bayonet which would probably kill someone if I had the mind to use it. In the shed I have a large tin of paint stripper which would leave a nasty mark on the smart car parked opposite.

So, what prevents me from doing all of those things ? Probably the same thing as you : a desire and motivation to be governed by the rules of society and the precepts of law. It’s the fact that we respect and adhere to that which means we live in a relatively safe society with respect for other people.

Imagine doing something which means that photographer’s are “camped outside my home, and also my parents home”. Where people from your past are contacted and offered money to talk about you. Imagine having your birth certificate, where you live, where you went to school, your mother’s name and where she lives emailed to you by someone who you don’t know.

It sounds like stalking but it is in fact the situation which Abby Lee of the successful blog, Girl with a One Track Mind, finds herself in courtesy of the Sunday Times and their decision to expose her real name.

Anna Mikhailova, the reporter who wrote the piece, would be well advised to consult the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Conduct and this recommendation in particular :

Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence. A publication will be expected to justify intrusions into any individual’s private life without consent

I hope she has a long and successful career in journalism. I hope that she uncovers something which justifies breaking that specific line in the code, some exposé of drug running or government scandal. Outing someone who writes under an assumed name about their private life isn’t such a case. It’s intrusive. She would be better advised to leave the time to break rules for something more warranted and live up the more noble examples of journalism such as Bernstein and Woodward.