WTF?!

[rivka]

Someone has hacked my old blog and, apparently, taken it over.

They posted something today. It's about HIV, but it's not written by me. They have edited the page to take down some of my information - like the e-mail contact I was using - and they've added some random links to the bottom that make me wonder if they're planning to turn the blog into a link farm. They've also removed the Haloscan comments, unless those disappeared for some unrelated reason.

I don't know how to log into the blog anymore - Blogger's interface has changed enough times that I don't seem to have the capability to access the Dashboard anymore. And whoever did this probably reset the e-mail account and everything in any case. That's what I would have done.

What do I do?

Comments

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Flag it? Does Blogspot even have an abuse department?

[brooksmoses]

The "Contact Support" page has a "I think someone is using my account" checkbox.

Failing all reasonable approaches, a last resort is a DMCA takedown notice about all the parts of the blog that you wrote, since the person currently using that account obviously isn't you and thus doesn't have copyright to them.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that was a helpful link. I was having a lot of trouble negotiating their support interface, which is obviously designed to prevent people from contacting them directly.

I am a little worried about this: "We'll follow up with you only if we require more details or if we have additional information to share." That seems a bit too much like, "We'll feel free to ignore your problem, and you have no recourse."

a last resort is a DMCA takedown notice about all the parts of the blog that you wrote, since the person currently using that account obviously isn't you and thus doesn't have copyright to them.

I think I'd have trouble proving my copyright, although there are bits and pieces - like the baby blogging posts with pictures of Alex - I would clearly be able to demonstrate that I owned.

[brooksmoses]

*nods* Yeah, it does sound like that.

If it fails, I'd also try the "Someone is impersonating me" checkbox (on grounds of the pictures, and also if you used your name with the blog), as it seems to have a more useful way to put in information.

A thing about the DMCA is that, if they don't go to the effort of contesting it, you don't have to prove your copyright -- you just have to assert it.

[kiya]

Oh. And here I was being happy that it had updated. :(

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Me too - I saw the post, and thought "I'll have to read that later, when I can pay attention to it!" :(

[lizzibabe.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a darned shame! I hope Blogger can help you out with this.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Blogger's having everyone update their templates, and I had to reupload some photos. Maybe it's just a mixup? I hope? But, gah. I also noted that you had posted and had flagged it to read later. :(

[moobabe.livejournal.com]

I don't have any advice (beyond what was already posted about contacting Blogger), but I have to say: dude. That's weird.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Since you last posted, Blogger has changed formats, and changed sign-in. I have to sign in via my gmail account. I think - not sure - that you need a Google account, not just a blogger account.

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

This is also my impression, as my blog was transferred from my blogger login to my gmail login (which I created about two years later).

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Good lord. That must feel horrible.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It does. I am really upset.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Crap. On so many levels crap.

I thought it was you. I was surprised you had posted there, given everything else going on right now, and assumed that was why it was so short.

I have no idea what to do to fix it. Very bad, double-plus ungood.

[moeticae.livejournal.com]

Rivka, is your LJ email checked on a regular basis? There's a guy at Blogger that I reached out to, but I didn't want to give him any kind of contact info that wasn't already public.

[moeticae.livejournal.com]

Whoops! Sorry: it's Moe.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I know who moeticae is!

Yes, rivka@livejournal.com forwards directly to my personal account. And I would be so grateful if you could vouch for me in this. Thank you. What's been haunting me is that I don't see any reason why anyone at Blogger would believe me over whoever it is who is now using the account, especially when it's been so long that I don't even for-sure remember what e-mail used to control the account &etc.

[moeticae.livejournal.com]

So vouched; email forwarded.

And don't thank me: thank the VRWC. :)

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

You mean other than the hundreds of people who know it's yours? Some of them well-known?

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

How horrible. I can imagine how awful that must feel.

[selki.livejournal.com]

When I'm logged in to GMail (which runs Blogger, IIRC), and view any Blogger blog, it gives me a link to the Dashboard at http://www.blogger.com/home

[ailbhe]

Oh, wow, Rivka, I'm so sorry. That's *horrible*.