Etsy reveals your dildo preferences to the world


The internet’s craft fair, Etsy, is taking a bit of flack right now for trying to make the site more social, and in doing so, revealing a bit more about Etsy users than users may be aware of, to the internet at large.

Last week, Etsy quietly rolled out a feature allowing people to search users, sellers and buyers alike- revealing information on items they’d sold, purchased or favorited. This feature was discussed in a not-very-visible forum thread, but not formally announced to users. The issue is underscored to great effect in a quote over at Ars Technica’s piece on the controversy. Quel horror, for internet sex toy shoppers everywhere:

“I just found a woman who’s Etsy profile comes up on Google as the 5th link. I was expecting 6 or 7 pages down, but it’s on the very first page, right after her online resumes,” wrote one concerned user on the Penny Arcade forums. “She signed up a year ago, under the old privacy policy, and hasn’t logged in since 2010. And now I know what dildo she uses. Right down to the curvature and coloring.”

Followed up by:

“Found an XXL glass dildo with veins and swirled gold coloring (beautiful piece really) and checked to see if anyone favorited it. Someone did. She also favorited some cosplay cat eat hats [sic] and a bell collar/necklace thing. Then I found her on Facebook.”

I must submit here that buying handmade sex toys (or “hillbilly bajingo wash“) is kind of a bit unnerving, but still, nobody’s business. If you’ve got a questionable Etsy history or merely want to conceal your love of etched Dolly Parton leather cuffs, you can opt out in your Etsy privacy settings. (That is, if you’re one of the few Etsy users who knows about the change.)

Have you checked your Etsy privacy settings?

[Ars Technica]

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