Glassdoor’s Evolving Policies Spark Privacy Concerns Among Users
New Social Features and Identity Verification Requirements Raise Eyebrows
Glassdoor, the popular platform known for its candid employee reviews, has recently implemented changes that have some users and privacy experts worried about the site’s commitment to anonymity. In July 2022, following the acquisition of the app Fishbowl, Glassdoor introduced new social features and altered its sign-up process to require users to disclose their full name, job title, and employer. While reviews remain anonymous, the policy of collecting and verifying real names has sparked concern.
Users Report Unexpected Name Additions to Profiles
The alarm bells started ringing when several users took to social media, claiming that their names had been added to their old Glassdoor accounts without their consent. One user, in emails reviewed by The Zero Byte, was informed by a Glassdoor support representative that they would not be able to remove their name and would have to delete their account if they wanted it gone. Attempts by this reporter to delete or change her name from a Glassdoor profile were met with a link to contact the help center instead.
Glassdoor’s Stance: Verification for Authentic Conversations
According to Glassdoor’s help pages, the company must verify identities and employment information to ensure that users can engage in authentic, candid conversations with other professionals, coworkers, and company leaders in a safe space. However, as Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, points out:
“You can’t both be verified and anonymous. You can’t both be a social network and a confidential reporting space. You can do one of those well, or you can do both of them badly.”
Confusion Arises as Platform Shifts Business Model
The concerns over Glassdoor’s evolving policies highlight the confusion that can arise when a platform that many people visit infrequently shifts its business model. Amanda Livingood, Glassdoor’s VP of corporate communications, explained that integrating Fishbowl with Glassdoor created a broader set of services that user information is now shared across—a different model to that many people with older Glassdoor accounts signed up for. Fishbowl’s old terms of service state that people who signed up for accounts may have been required to add their names.
Balancing Privacy and Verification
While Glassdoor has a history of working to keep its users’ identities private, as evidenced by its defense of a user in a case initiated by cryptocurrency exchange Kraken in 2019, the current terms have raised concerns. Aaron Mackey, a senior staff attorney with the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, notes that the changes are a significant shift and could potentially lead to people being identified.
As Glassdoor continues to evolve, striking the right balance between verification and anonymity will be crucial to maintain the trust and confidence of its users.
Glassdoor’s Shift Towards Social Networking Raises Concerns Over Anonymity
The Delicate Balance of Protecting User Privacy
Glassdoor, a popular platform known for its anonymous employee reviews, is undergoing changes that have sparked discussions about user privacy. The company’s recent acquisition of Fishbowl and the introduction of new social features have led to concerns over the potential erosion of anonymity on the platform.
While Glassdoor’s terms of service acknowledge the risk of employers inferring the identity of reviewers based on factors such as company size, content posted, and user location, the platform has long marketed itself as a haven for protecting anonymity. However, with the integration of social channels where users post under their real names, the risk of inadvertently revealing one’s identity has increased.
“You acknowledge that Glassdoor cannot guarantee your anonymity,” as a company or department’s size, the content posted, and the user’s location may allow employers’ to infer who left a review, the document says. “You should understand this risk before submitting Content to the services.”
The Allure of Unfiltered Work Discussions
Glassdoor and Fishbowl’s merger brought together two platforms that attracted users by hosting relatively unfiltered discussions about work, offering a space for gossip and insider information that often contrasted with the polished, overly positive posts on LinkedIn. The combined platform, owned by Recruit Holdings (which also owns Indeed), aims to profit from advertising open jobs to its 55 million monthly visitors.
The Double-Edged Sword of Profile Verification
Glassdoor’s introduction of profile verification could help prevent trolls from posting fake information about companies, thereby maintaining trust among users seeking an insider’s perspective. However, changes to policies on names and verification can also erode trust, potentially altering how some users engage with the platform.
The evolution of Glassdoor’s terms of service reveals how its commitments to users have changed with the addition of new social features. The consolidation of terms with Fishbowl between December 2022 and January 2023 included changes related to user verification and anonymity across services.
Contrasting Approaches to User Privacy
Glassdoor’s approach to user privacy differs significantly from that of its younger competitor, Blind. While Blind requires an email to sign up and a work email for certain features, it claims not to store email addresses and ensures that activity on the site cannot be linked back to a person’s email. Blind does not require real names for its services, although employers could potentially know an employee signed up if they receive a verification code at a company email address.
Glassdoor, on the other hand, calls its community aspects a “verified network,” requiring users to confirm their identity, including name, job title, industry, company, and active email address or social network to access all of its services. The company uses a “proprietary verification process” to validate accounts, along with confirming emails or active profiles from other social networks.
“We don’t allow anyone, including employers, to access the identity of anonymous posts.”
Despite this assurance, Glassdoor’s help pages include a caveat acknowledging the limitations of fully confirming users’ identities, the truthfulness of their contributions, or their employment status in the digital age.
As Glassdoor continues to evolve and incorporate more social features, striking the right balance between user privacy and platform integrity will be crucial in maintaining the trust and engagement of its user base.
6 Comments
Glassdoor’s game just changed; say goodbye to your secret feedback sessions!
So much for anonymous venting, huh? Glassdoor’s new policy sure puts a twist on “honest” feedback!
Talk about putting everyone on blast, Glassdoor’s really flipping the script on anonymity!
Apparently, Glassdoor’s taking “transparency” to a whole new level – privacy, who
Anonymity’s overrated anyway, or so Glassdoor seems to think with this bold move.
Guess Glassdoor’s all about that full disclosure life now, huh? Welcome to the era of no secrets!