Need to get my old Flickr shut down, not connected to ANY of my emails

September 14, 2017 8:38 AM

For my own personal safety, I need to get my old Flickr account shut down. I own the account but I cannot access it and I don't have either a Yahoo account or any recovery email or phone number connected to it. I need to log it in and either turn it private or shut it down.

I am aware flickr is being sold to a company called Oath. If I don't get this shut down it could severely impact my safety and wellbeing. It is all pictures of me and I can prove my likeness if I know who to talk to, but I am unsure. I am very, very worried and concerned, could anyone help?

posted by Mistress to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Response by poster: I've pinged Flickr customer support on Twitter, and looking at the form in their pinned tweet, it asks (and requires) a yahoo ID or email... that's the problem...I don't have those! Just a link to my flickr account of pictures of me I would like to take down.
posted by Mistress at 8:50 AM on September 14, 2017

You could always just sign up for a Yahoo account for the purposes of contacting them.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:51 AM on September 14, 2017

You say you don't have access to the account - does that mean you don't know the username and password anymore? In that case, you have to have access to the email account where they can send you the forgotten password. When you have the password, you can go into the account and delete it. I don't think they'll let you shut down an account only based on "it containes pictures of me".
posted by gakiko at 9:20 AM on September 14, 2017

Best answer: I need to get my old Flickr account shut down. I own the account but I cannot access it and I don't have either a Yahoo account or any recovery email or phone number connected to it.

When Yahoo bought Flickr, there was a period of time when Flickr logins works and thereafter everyone who logged in had to get a Yahoo ID to log in, even if it was just a one-off for logging in to Flickr (this is why I own the flickrmyn@yahoo email address). If you try to log in to flickr having never gotten a Yahoo ID, you should be prompted to get one. This happened at least eight years ago but I don't know exactly when. Are you certain you didn't create a one-off Yahoo ID for this purpose? Did you used to have an email for that account that you don't have now? GetHuman claims they don't have phone access.

So I don't mean to be questioning your version of events, just making sure you're 100% certain you don't have a Yahoo ID.
posted by jessamyn at 9:54 AM on September 14, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I made a yahoo ID. When I click Flickr on it it goes to a new Flickr account, not the one I want to deactivate.

Perhaps a Yahoo ID *exists* for the Flickr I want to deactivate but I don't have it. Any email address I try is not recognised.
posted by Mistress at 12:59 AM on September 15, 2017

Response by poster: Update - after trying a bunch of variations I REMEMBERED THE YAHOO ID and was able to log in and delete the flickr account!!!! So for future searchers, it did still exist even though I had not used it for years. It was my recall and not Yahoo password recovery, etc, that sorted it. Go to the Flickr Twitter to get started on their password ticket raising system, for anyone else in this conundrum.
posted by Mistress at 1:23 AM on September 15, 2017 [6 favorites]