Worried about my google search

Published

So, without going into detail I am currently an honor student enrolled at my community college and pursuing a nursing degree. Unfortunately about eight years ago I took nude (not really nude but sexually suggestive) photos of myself and now have someone trying to ruin my life with them by attaching my real name to those photos by means of instagram and a few message boards I used to post at and it is showing up in google search results because of it.

Am I never going to get hired because of what this vindictive and childish person did? Even though I have not taken or sent out photos like that recently and these photos are eight years old?

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

You contact instagram, Google, the message board admin team for removal of your likeness (assuming they weren't taken in a public place with no expectation of privacy) then you can contact an attorney to issue a cease & decist order if appropriate for the malicious intent

You contact instagram, Google, the message board admin team for removal of your likeness (assuming they weren't taken in a public place with no expectation of privacy) then you can contact an attorney to issue a cease & decist order if appropriate for the malicious intent

Considering where I live - when I googled it - there were no moral turpitude clauses in getting a nursing license here. Would it even matter if say Instagram doesn't respond (I've contacted them a dozen times reporting it already) and it stays up?

I think I'm going to hire one of those branding sites if need be as well as a lawyer. I am actually considering filing a police report so that I may sue the person for defamation and they even went so far as to try contacting my family members through instagram, etc. The person who did this doesn't even know me - they were just mad at me over a message board. I think whoever it is needs to have legal action sought upon them to teach them a lesson that you don't do this to people over something as stupid as a message board. I know that if I were to get a lawyer then instagram would be forced to give me the information to the person so that I may serve them or their parents, and that no proxy is going to hide their real I.P address from the real authorities.

Honestly, though, I don't like hiding my past, and really I'd rather not have the feeling of always being afraid of my job finding out something and firing me over it. So, maybe it's best to find a hospital that doesn't care so that I don't have to worry about it. After all, it's not who I am anymore.

Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

You say it was 8 years ago... were you a minor at the time? If so than this may fall into distribution of child Mediaography, which is a federal offense. Seeking the advice of a lawyer is your best course of action.

The fact is that nursing is a very competitive field. New grad positions especially. Hospitals may chose to hire or not hire you for any reason, and you aren't likely to be told why another candidate was selected over you. It won't be commonplace for all institutions to conduct a google images search of potential employees, but it wouldn't be surprising to me if they did.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Were you under 18?

How did a person you only know online get a hold of the photo?

This qualifies as stalking and you need to file a complaint

Don't contact Instagram as a general push as online stalking and defamation

You say it was 8 years ago... were you a minor at the time? If so than this may fall into distribution of child Mediaography, which is a federal offense. Seeking the advice of a lawyer is your best course of action.

The fact is that nursing is a very competitive field. New grad positions especially. Hospitals may chose to hire or not hire you for any reason, and you aren't likely to be told why another candidate was selected over you. It won't be commonplace for all institutions to conduct a google images search of potential employees, but it wouldn't be surprising to me if they did.

By the time I'm out of school it will have been over 10 years ago, and no, I was about 19 in them. I remember reading an article about a judge where I live having worked as a prostitute before she decided to turn her life around. I was never a prostitute, but, I'd like to think that considering where I am that my past photos won't be that big of a deal.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did either. It seems more common place than ever now. Which to me seems a bit unfair, since how someone is in private isn't necessarily going to tell a potential employer that the person is going to be a horrible employee. I feel as if there should be a law stating that someone has a right to what information google can link to about them - as long as it isn't them trying to hide criminal activity about themselves. If it's photos from a decade ago that someone is trying to use against them - then that should be taken down imho.

Were you under 18?

How did a person you only know online get a hold of the photo?

This qualifies as stalking and you need to file a complaint

Don't contact Instagram as a general push as online stalking and defamation

They got my geo location off of my instagram and posted my address/real name/college on a message board just by using my geo location (I didn't have that information on it) and then proceeded to find my username from another instagram account I had, which I don't know how they got that because I didn't have any link to that name, and used that to get my photos/personal information and make the instagram account with it.

Who would I file a complaint with?

You file a stalking complaint with the police.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Why would you post such a photo on Instagram? This is going to be your downfall. Report your accounts as hacked with stolen images.

Online stalking start with your local police they can advise you next. I'm not certain what kind of attorney. To protect the license you do not yet have contact the American Association of Nurse Attorneys for a referral to a nurse attorney in your area TAANA Executive Office - Home

Why would you post such a photo on Instagram? This is going to be your downfall. Report your accounts as hacked with stolen images.

Online stalking start with your local police they can advise you next. I'm not certain what kind of attorney. To protect the license you do not yet have contact the American Association of Nurse Attorneys for a referral to a nurse attorney in your area TAANA Executive Office - Home

I didn't post the photo on instagram.

People posted 10 year old photos of me on a message board that was linked to my old screen name and that is how they found it.

Why would you post such a photo on Instagram? This is going to be your downfall. Report your accounts as hacked with stolen images.

Online stalking start with your local police they can advise you next. I'm not certain what kind of attorney. To protect the license you do not yet have contact the American Association of Nurse Attorneys for a referral to a nurse attorney in your area TAANA Executive Office - Home

What photo? I didn't post the photos they are trying to expose on my instagram. Those photos were posted by other people and not me.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
What photo? I didn't post the photos they are trying to expose on my instagram. Those photos were posted by other people and not me.

It doe at matter who posted the pics-you need a lawyer-STAT!

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