Jobs community site Glassdoor is accused of revealing the identity of an anonymous user profile, according to media reports.

Glassdoor enables users to anonymously sign up to review companies they have worked for. However, TechCrunch reported that a person referred to as ‘Monica’ alleges Glassdoor added her name and the city where she lives to her profile following an email exchange with Glassdoor customer support, despite having never provided her name during the sign-up process some years earlier. The person alleges Glassdoor got her full name from the email she sent to customer support.

According to TechCrunch, Monica told Glassdoor’s customer support that the company did not have her consent or permission to add her name, but Glassdoor  “required” her to have her name added to her profile, telling her that this would not compromise her anonymity of past reviews she gave. Monica said that her anonymity might not last if Glassdoor was to experience a hack or a data breach and compromise users’ data. It also means this information can be obtained by legal processes, such as a lawsuit or police demanding access to Glassdoor user data.

For years, Glassdoor has notably enabled users to sign up for its service anonymously, according to Ars Technica. But in 2021, Glassdoor acquired Fishbowl, a professional networking app that integrated with Glassdoor last July. This acquisition meant that every Glassdoor user was automatically signed up for a Fishbowl account. And because Fishbowl requires users to verify their identities, Glassdoor's terms of service changed to require all users to be verified.

While users can remain anonymous, this change raises some potential concerns about data privacy and anonymity, Aaron Mackey, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Ars Technica.

Glassdoor’s spokesperson told Ars Technica that Glassdoor does not comment on specific user accounts, only sharing a statement that does not seem to apply to Monica’s situation.

“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,” Glassdoor’s spokesperson said. “When using Glassdoor and Fishbowl, there is always 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.”

Glassdoor is owned by Tokyo-based Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd., the world’s fifth-largest staffing firm.

SIA has reached out to Glassdoor for comment.