How to get my name off someone's tweet?
May 29, 2016 2:04 PM Subscribe
I recently Googled my firstname+lastname, which I don't share with anyone else as far as I can tell, and found a tweet near the top of the results which I'm not particularly happy about.
Some time ago (years), someone I used to work for tweeted a picture of me at an event we did together and named me in it. I think they were trying to give me props but I look like a lunatic in the photo and I would prefer if people googling me didn't see it. I am no longer on speaking terms with the person - is there any other way I can make this happen?
Some time ago (years), someone I used to work for tweeted a picture of me at an event we did together and named me in it. I think they were trying to give me props but I look like a lunatic in the photo and I would prefer if people googling me didn't see it. I am no longer on speaking terms with the person - is there any other way I can make this happen?
The best solution is a bit counterintuitive. You should put more pictures of yourself online (with your first and last name). Also create more "content", new social media profiles, etc. End goal of this is to push the other photo further down in Google search results.
You could also file a DMCA takedown request with Twitter and pretend you own the copyright to the picture. Most companies will comply and make the other party prove they do in fact own the picture. This is unethical and probably illegal in some way, but it is an option.
posted by paulcole at 3:06 PM on May 29, 2016 [13 favorites]
You could also file a DMCA takedown request with Twitter and pretend you own the copyright to the picture. Most companies will comply and make the other party prove they do in fact own the picture. This is unethical and probably illegal in some way, but it is an option.
posted by paulcole at 3:06 PM on May 29, 2016 [13 favorites]
Best answer: I sympathize wholeheartedly. I'm pretty particular about pictures of myself, but, in the digital age, I've had to acquiesce to being in pictures that I do not like AT ALL knowing that they may potentially be posted online. Unfortunately, many people are pretty undiscriminating about whether a photo of someone is "good" or not. If this was Facebook, you could at least remove your name as a tag, but there isn't anything here that sounds like it would be against Twitter's Terms of Service. I realize that you're no longer on speaking terms, but, presuming this isn't a personal safety issue, your best chance of having this picture taken down is to DM the person and ask that s/he deletes it. Keep it short & write something like, "Apologies for the intrusion, but will you please take this picture offline? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance." Unless someone is a major asshole, the picture will come down without a demand for an explanation. If you are asked why, just say it's for personal reasons. If this is misread as an attempt to reconnect, you'll either have to explain that it isn't or simply not respond.
Keep in mind that even if the post comes down, it may show up as a cached result for quite awhile. From the perspective of managing your online presence, paulcole is correct that the best way to push this photo down in results is to flood the internet with better photos and content. That can be quite a time consuming process, however, and may take awhile to yield results. It's still an excellent idea, but for a more immediate solution, the person deleting the post/photo is your best bet. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 3:27 PM on May 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Keep in mind that even if the post comes down, it may show up as a cached result for quite awhile. From the perspective of managing your online presence, paulcole is correct that the best way to push this photo down in results is to flood the internet with better photos and content. That can be quite a time consuming process, however, and may take awhile to yield results. It's still an excellent idea, but for a more immediate solution, the person deleting the post/photo is your best bet. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 3:27 PM on May 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
The only way to deal with this is to push it down in the Google search results by posting a bunch of other content associated with your name.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:43 PM on May 29, 2016
posted by Jacqueline at 6:43 PM on May 29, 2016
Did they name you or your Twitter handle? If it's the latter, you can change that in your settings.
posted by jessca84 at 6:52 PM on May 29, 2016
posted by jessca84 at 6:52 PM on May 29, 2016
Response by poster: Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. I'm not on Twitter or any other social media and I'd rather just live with it than contact the person ever again. Thanks everyone for your insights!
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:47 PM on May 29, 2016
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:47 PM on May 29, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
You could attempt to pay them to remove it, either by making the offer yourself or having a third party make the offer.
There is nothing illegal, inappropriate, or against the Twitter terms of service to take a picture of someone and tweeting it.
posted by saeculorum at 2:16 PM on May 29, 2016 [3 favorites]