FL outing

So you were potentially outed on the meatlist...

A good detailed analysis of the "hack" http://thoughtgasm.net/blog/posts/thoughts-the-fetlife-hack/

A link to your profile along with your username, age, location, and identity out on the searchable internet.

This means if you did not use a UNIQUE username someone using google can now associate Cutiepie1337 on FL with CutiePie1337 on facebook, or CutiePie1337@email.com and know your real name. Also if they know your facbeook name or email adddress they can now know you are kinky.

Once something is online you really can not get rid of it.

What now?

Changing your username won't help as it's linked by profile ID - please note if you do change your username it will now be associated with your old username forever as the link was by ID, so now a person has you "old" username, and "new" username which links the two - to you.

Are you in a very sensitive / high risk situation and need this minimized as much as possible?

  • Close that breached account.
    • Copy your friends list first. You do NOT want to put the word out you are making a new profile as those posts / comments will live on past your account closure and that can tip people off to keep looking for you. Also once you have the new account do not publicly post or comment referencing your OLD name. If you have to message people privately your old name when re-asking to friend.
  • Open a new account and be sure to follow the advice on the homepage. Also set a fake location, age, gender and friend lock all pictures.
  • Unfortunately your old username is still risky. So go to every other sites that you have used that same name and change it to something new. Facebook, linkedin, email, twitter etc. Obviously this should not match your FL username. Yes, this sucks. Pretend it's a midlife crisis or quarter life crisis or something. Unfortunately as stated above you can't pull the data (old username) off the internet but you can at least make it old / outdated and harder to locate.

Would it just suck, a lot, if people found out? Go ahead and do the following:

  • Check your profile - remove any links to facebook, linked in, real email address, your name, ANYTHING associated with Real Name
  • Check your pictures - all pictures with your face or tattoos should be "flocked" or locked to friends only access. Image recognition these days is amazing, which is bad for you. Note, even though technically only your friends can see them tech savvy people can get around that, read more here. So if you are really nervous do not post them at all.
  • Consider changing your gender, age and location in case similar events occur in the future. This will also make you harder to search using his hack.
  • Check out the homepage for general privacy advice.

Want to try and help get this specific incident stopped?

  • Email his web host (email address : abuse@securedservers.com ) and ask them to take down his page (link to the meatlist pages) "as this data was copied, against the terms and conditions of the location it was taken from, and it contains my personal information, and my sexual orientation without my permission in an attempt to out me to others" or whatever you wish to say. Do not threaten, be polite. He is THEIR customer and pays them, but you want to point out they are hosting someone doing something morally questionable.
  • Contact Google and try and get the search result delisted https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905?rd=1&hc_location=ufi#ts=1115655