Glassdoor, known for anonymous employee reviews, reveals users' real names

Glassdoor, known for anonymous employee reviews, reveals users' real names
20 Mar 2024

Glassdoor, a platform renowned for anonymous employee reviews, has started adding real names to user profiles without permission.

Monica, a user of the platform, stumbled upon this change last week and urged others to delete their accounts.

She reached out to Glassdoor support for assistance in removing certain information from her account but was taken aback when her real name was added to her profile instead.

This happened even after she explicitly declined the storage of her real name.

Glassdoor's purchase of Fishbowl alters user verification
Result of acquisition

In 2021, Glassdoor took over Fishbowl, a professional networking app that necessitates user identity verification.

The acquisition triggered a modification in Glassdoor's terms of service, making it compulsory for all users to be verified.

While users can still maintain anonymity on the platform, this change has sparked concerns about data privacy and anonymity among users and privacy champions like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Worries over possible retaliation and data leaks
Possible data leak

Aaron Mackey, an attorney for the EFF, voiced his concerns about Glassdoor's new policy.

He cautioned that storing real names could connect users to their reviews if data is subpoenaed or leaked.

Monica reiterated these apprehensions in her blog post, stating that Glassdoor now mandates real names and will append them to older accounts without permission.

She warned that this policy exposes people to potential risks with their employers and appears contradictory to the platform's own data privacy policies.

Account deletion doesn't halt name storage
Account deletion

Monica discovered that erasing her Glassdoor account wouldn't prevent the company from retaining her name. It would merely deactivate her account.

She chose to submit a data removal request, which the platform estimated could take up to 30 days.

During this time, her name stayed on the profile, sparking worries about potential connections to job reviews in the event of data leaks or software glitches.

Despite these apprehensions, a Glassdoor representative reassured Monica that her anonymity would still be safeguarded.