That's not a new problem, right? Anyone can publish anything about anyone else, pretty much. That's the foundation of about 99% of celebrity magazines.

For non-celebrities, it very much is a new problem. Facebook, cheap digital cameras and widespread internet use have turned average people into paparazzi. You can be a regular Joe Schmoe, go to a party, and have everyone you know looking at pics the next day (or the same night). That didn't happen 10 years ago if you weren't famous.