Website Won't Remove Profile

[TrueB]

Hi,

4 years ago, I've registered on a UK-based casting website for acting jobs. Now the website is still online, but the owners abandoned it and I can't get access to my account. When you search my name, my profile on that website comes up as #1 in Google. I've picked a different career path, and this has a potential to hurt my future. This has to be removed. I'm currently living in the US.

I've reached out to them a million times over the last 2 years, including directly to the owner on Facebook - I'm being ignored.

Surely it can't be legal to prevent someone from removing their account on the website, right? Is there a case, can I sue & how much would that cost? Can I have a lawyer send them a C&D letter or something first?

Thanks for any help. This is really frustrating me.

[Mr. Knowitall]

This is a U.S. forum. While you may have remedies under U.K. law or under the E.U.'s growing privacy rules, you don't have any U.S.-based legal right to compel a U.K.-based website to take down your profile.

[cbg]

Surely it can't be legal to prevent someone from removing their account on the website, right?

Of course it is. At least in the US. No current US law would compel a website to remove your account short of a court order. And to get a court order, you'd need much more than "this could potentially hurt my employment prospects". You'd need provable, actual damages.

I don't know if UK or European law says differently, but you got nuthin' in the US.

[BooRennie]

Surely it can't be legal to prevent someone from removing their account on the website, right?

Of course it is. At least in the US. No current US law would compel a website to remove your account short of a court order. And to get a court order, you'd need much more than "this could potentially hurt my employment prospects". You'd need provable, actual damages.

I don't know if UK or European law says differently, but you got nuthin' in the US.

As OP has been told elsewhere.

[LawResearcherMissy]

Surely it can't be legal to prevent someone from removing their account on the website, right?

It certainly is here. In the UK? You'd have to consult with people conversant in UK law.

Generally, though, it's usually in the TOS of such websites that they don't have to remove anything. That's the rule here in this forum - you can holler all you want, I've even had people threaten suit, and in a couple instances impersonate attorneys to make threats if we didn't delete the things they willingly posted and now are embarrassed by. The answer is still No.