Glassdoor, the website that allows workers to anonymously complain about their workplaces without fear of retribution, is reportedly revealing staffers’ real names in their profiles — prompting a viral backlash over fears that their identities could be exposed.
The shift began last July when the site 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 workers to reveal their full name, job title and employer — a departure from its previous practice of just requiring email addresses but no names, according to WIRED.
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 verify your profile but other users won’t see your name unless you choose to share it.”
While Glassdoor users who post reviews of employers remain anonymous, the company’s new 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 email exchange and adding it to her account without her consent.
“They do not care that this puts people at risk with their employers,” she wrote. “They do not care that this seems to run counter to their own data-privacy policies.”
The Post has sought comment from Glassdoor.
Several other Glassdoor users posted messages on social media accusing the company of adding their real names without their consent.
Bruno J. Navarro, an X user, posted a screenshot showing that he deleted his Glassdoor account after another X user warned that the site was “retroactively adding people’s real names to their accounts.”
Glassdoor’s help pages include an explainer of its new policy. It says that the company needs to verify user identities so as to “ensure that our users can engage in authentic, candid conversations with other professionals, coworkers, and company leaders in a safe space.”
Amanda Livingood, a spokesperson for Glassdoor, told WIRED that the site’s absorption of Fishbowl changed the way user information appears.
“When a user provides information, either during the sign-up process or by uploading a résumé, that information will automatically cross-populate between all Glassdoor services, including our community app Fishbowl,” she said.
Livingood added that users of both Glassdoor and Fishbowl have “the option to remain anonymous.”
“Users can choose to be fully anonymous or reveal elements of their identity, like company name or job title, while using our community service,” she told WIRED.
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