Who Knows Where Famous People Live?
In the not-to-distant past, celebrities were able to maintain a semblance of privacy in their own homes. When famous folk buy houses, it’s usually through a trust (to keep their names off public record). Add in some privacy fences or hedges, and it used to be the case that things were pretty secure.
The cast of The Bling Ring portrayed a group of young women who exploited internet knowledge of celebrity homes to steal millions of dollars in personal belongings.
The digital age has changed all that. They say that loose lips sink ships, and this is definitely the case when it comes to where celebs live. It’s not just Realtors who have to be sworn to secrecy when someone famous buys a home – there are surveyors, inspectors, neighbors, and all sorts of other professionals involved, and lots of potential for weak links in the secrecy chain.
It’s not just a loss of cherished privacy that’s at risk when celebrity addresses become a matter of public knowledge. Remember the film The Bling Ring? Starring Harry Potter’s Emma Watson, the movie was a dramatized account of a real-life group of young women who broke into and burglarized several Hollywood stars’ homes in the late 2000s. The women were able to use knowledge gained on the internet to gain access to the homes of Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, and others and steal millions of dollars in jewelry, clothing, and other personal items. This is to say nothing of the paparazzi. It’s bad enough that stars are hounded when out in public, but disclosure of home addresses gives ruthless photogs the opportunity to harass celebrities in what should be their safe space.
The answer to this problem is heightened security. Today, the most sought-after neighborhoods in star-studded Los Angeles are those with full-time security situated at gatehouses, and enhanced home security systems that feature motion detection, perimeter surveillance, and even private security staff. It’s an expense, but most would agree that a little peace of mind is well worth the cash.
