Fascinated by stories of faked deaths and odd disappearances, writer Evan Ratliff at Wired magazine decided to try it for himself. Evan “vanished” on August 13th, 2009 but there was a catch: Wired readers were offered a $5,000 bounty to its readers to find Evan within a month. According to Evan:
Nicholas Thompson, my editor, would have complete access to information that a private investigator hired to find me might uncover: my real bank accounts, credit cards, phone records, social networking accounts, and email. I’d give Thompson my friends’ contact information so he could conduct interviews. He would parcel out my personal details online, available to whichever amateur or professional investigators chose to hunt for me.
It is a fascinating read, both to learn the lengths Evan went to to avoid detection and the ingenious ways his stalkers chased him. Social media played a huge part, and it’s a little chilling to put yourself in Evan’s shoes as he watches people dissect his personal life online, share tips and theories and effectively track him like a hunted animal. He quickly discovers that starting a brand new life can be intolerably lonely, and he wrestles with the unexpected emotions that arise as he is stalked by an online community of readers. Technology is pretty amazing, but it’s your worst enemy when you are trying to vanish.