Deleting a blog online - this can happen!

Our guest writers, Jöran and Maria Selin, deleted their blog online some time ago. The web host promised to remove all information, but does that mean the information disappears from the web? Jöran and Maria learnt that this is not the case. We interviewed them and they share their experiences and best tips!

We have removed the blog - but the blog is still there!

The first experience was shocking. Jöran and Maria knew that they had deleted their blog. But now all their texts were still online ... and owned by someone else! How could this happen? And why aren't people informed that this is actually an imminent risk when removing material from the web?

What we, together with Jöran and Maria, have learnt is that there is a big "rubbish bin" out there. Old discarded web pages are still there, and anyone can pick them up and republish them. Maybe someone wants to quickly get a site with lots of material, to use to provide links to various obscure websites?

Jöran and Maria suddenly discovered that their entire personal blog was "live", even though they had shut it down, and even though they now had no access. We asked a number of questions and asked them to tell us!

Can you tell us briefly about your blog? What was it about and why did you start it?

We started blogging when we got our first motorhome. A way for family and friends to follow us on our travels. Also as a diary for ourselves but a general one.

We started Magnolia Magis when we moved out permanently. A personal blog about life in the motorhome and alternative accommodation all year round. To inspire others and for our families to follow us.

Why did you decide to close the blog?

When we moved to the cottage, we felt that the Magnolia blog was finished. Why pay money for something we don't use anymore, we thought. When we didn't write for a year, we decided to quit. Instagram and Facebook were enough to keep going, we thought.

How did you decide to close the blog? What information did you receive from the hosting company?

There was no problem with closing down. You just announced that you wanted to end it. We had on one.com and we got a good reminder to save what we wanted to keep, because after the end date all the data was deleted.

What happened next? How did you discover that the blog was 'live' again?

I saw during the summer that I could see the blog but thought it was probably because there was something left on my computer. I thought no more about it. When we started as guest writers at FREEDOMtravel, we checked the site again.

Still up but without pictures. Didn't look professional and we had finished? We tried to access our site but it didn't work with our login. Now we contacted one.com. Then we found out that it was owned by someone else!

How is it possible that your blog was "live" even though you closed it down?

Yes, this is when we learnt that ALL pages are stored in something called a web archive that cleans the internet of all domain content. We have learnt that it is very easy to download someone's page and then post it as your own.

When the domain name was deregistered, it ended up with the Norwegian company Domeneshop and from there someone in the USA bought the name. Who then uses it and for what is not known. Flutterenterprises.com is the owner in any case and the site is on something called cloudflare. Then "someone" has pasted all our material so it looks like our site ...

Have you tried to contact the person(s) behind the site(s)? Have you received any replies?

Yes, we have contacted everyone. Firstly one.com who see that everything was deleted from their servers in April. They don't see that it has anything to do with them and say that this is how the internet works.

They saw that the name was at Domeneshop. We got a quick reply from them that they only provide free names and that in Norway it is illegal to take other people's material.

They see that the owners are flutterenterprises.com. We have not received any response there yet and doubt that we will. It seems to be with a dodgy host... What has happened, however, is that the next day the site was clean of our material!

What about the web host, can they help you in any way?

Neither one.com nor domeneshop can do anything about this as it is not related to their servers. They refer us to contact the owner.

When one.se writes that they delete all data, one interprets that everything is deleted. But it is only what they have on their server, not what others have downloaded. Then you can think about whose responsibility it is that others can download your pages. It was when it was with one that it happened.

Based on your research, is there anything else you can do? Shouldn't people have a right to their own texts?

Of course we say that mine is mine! But you know that anyone can steal your texts, pictures and everything you post online, but you think no one should do that. Naive. Annoying.

Of course you think that just because you write that it is your own copyright, others will respect it. Just because the law says ajabaja you think you are protected. Well, no. The dodgy surfer does not interpret the word copyright for what it is, but as a right to copy ...

How do you feel now, will you think differently about publishing online in the future?

Yes, it does give you pause for thought. It is very unpleasant not to have control over what you have posted and not being able to do anything to remove it. We are mildly spared as it was originally a public page, so we have somehow written it publicly. I think it would have been worse if it was a private page that was not meant for others. (Well, a hacker has no problem taking a private page, don't think otherwise. It will be a little more difficult to find it, but it can be done.) So we continue to write, but perhaps even more generally.

"The feeling is that nothing very serious has happened to us, but it's uncomfortable. You get angry and disappointed. Uncomfortable that someone is pretending to be us. Uncomfortable because you wonder what hidden links there are to other undesirable sites.

What are your tips for others so that they don't experience the same thing?

• If this happens, reputable sites have email addresses for the abuse team to check what has happened, but they can't do anything. Both one and domeneshop were quick to respond.
• The police tip line is also a good place to report, as they may be able to see a link to illegal activities that are more frightening than hijacked text. Someone is doing this for a purpose. Taking other people's pages illegally is probably not for a good purpose.
• Unfortunately, you cannot protect yourself against this. You can make it more complicated, but it's like your home: if someone wants to get in and take yours, there's nothing you can do.
• Once you have a domain name, keep it so you have a little more control. If you don't want to blog anymore, stop using the web host but keep the name you bought.
• Always have good internet protection etc. it makes it a bit more complicated.
• If you write copyright write your name not the name of the domain. Because like now it says copyright "magnoliamagis" so basically the one in the US owns our material ...
• Think about what you are sharing. Write like everyone is reading it and not everyone is sharing just family and friends.
• If you want to share with loved ones, maybe an email list is better?

Did you realise that what you delete online can still exist, be downloaded and used by others? Do you have any similar experiences?