Glassdoor, the web site that enables employees to anonymously complain about their workplaces without fear of retribution, is reportedly revealing staffers’ real names of their profiles — prompting a viral backlash over fears that their identities might be exposed.
The shift began last July when the location added social features integrated from Fishbowl, an app for work-related discussions that Glassdoor’s parent company, Recruit, acquired in 2021.
Signing up for an account on Glassdoor required employees to disclose their full name, job title and employer — a departure from its previous practice of just requiring email addresses but no names, in keeping with WIRED.
Social media users say they’re fleeing Glassdoor en masse on account of a change of their data and privacy policies. Glassdoor
Glassdoor, the location where users anonymously complain about their jobs, is now requiring people to disclose their full names and that of their employer. X/@Glassdoor
Christian Sutherland-Wong is Glassdoor’s CEO. Linkedin/Christian Sutherland-Wong
Returning users to Glassdoor who hadn’t uploaded their full names were met with a pop-up message that reads: “Entering your real name is required to confirm your profile but other users won’t see your name unless you select to share it.”
While Glassdoor users who post reviews of employers remain anonymous, the corporate’s latest policy of collecting and verifying real names has prompted worries over potential violations of privacy.
An anonymous blogger who goes by the name “Monica” posted a lengthy account titled, “Time to delete our Glassdoor account and data.”
The blog entry, which was dated March 12, detailed how Monica contacted Glassdoor for “an account-related issue” using her real name that was attached to her email provider.
“Big mistake,” she wrote.
Monica accused Glassdoor of taking her real name gleaned from the e-mail exchange and adding it to her account without her consent.
“They don’t care that this puts people in danger with their employers,” she wrote. “They don’t care that this seems to run counter to their very own data-privacy policies.”
The Post has sought comment from Glassdoor.
Several other Glassdoor users posted messages on social media accusing the corporate of adding their real names without their consent.
I’ve never used Glassdoor but when you’ve gotten: It is seemingly retroactively adding people’s real names to their accounts. Check in your posts there should you use it. https://t.co/aaRDec5GRf
— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) March 15, 2024
Bruno J. Navarro, an X user, posted a screenshot showing that he deleted his Glassdoor account after one other X user warned that the location was “retroactively adding people’s real names to their accounts.”
Glassdoor’s help pages include an explainer of its latest policy. It says that the corporate must confirm user identities in order to “make sure that our users can engage in authentic, candid conversations with other professionals, coworkers, and company leaders in a protected space.”
Amanda Livingood, a spokesperson for Glassdoor, told WIRED that the location’s absorption of Fishbowl modified the way in which user information appears.
“When a user provides information, either throughout the sign-up process or by uploading a résumé, that information will mechanically cross-populate between all Glassdoor services, including our community app Fishbowl,” she said.
Glassdoor said the brand new policy got here into effect after its acquisition of the location Fishbowl. Glassdoor
Livingood added that users of each Glassdoor and Fishbowl have “the choice to stay anonymous.”
“Users can decide to be fully anonymous or reveal elements of their identity, like company name or job title, while using our community service,” she told WIRED.
