The Daily Mail has been accused of stalking a woman it wrongly identified as former White Stripes drummer Meg White, after the newspaper covertly photographed her and published more than a dozen images claiming she was living a "secret new life". The now-deleted article, published on 6 August, presented the photos as the first public images of White in 17 years, despite the woman denying she was the drummer when directly approached. The incident has drawn criticism over the invasive methods used and the harm caused to a private individual wrongly caught up in the story.

The woman photographed has since been identified by sources as a friend of White's, though she has not been publicly named, and an anonymous music industry executive confirmed neither woman knew they were being followed, adding that White is well and living privately in Detroit. Singer Karen Elson, a friend of White's and Jack White's former wife, called the newspaper's actions "reckless and cruel" in a since-deleted post. The Daily Mail removed the article last week but has issued no correction or apology, and NME has contacted the paper for comment. White has largely avoided public life since The White Stripes split in 2011 and did not attend the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last year, though Jack White read a message from her at the ceremony.