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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Taking someone else's username

14 replies

ELM8 · 26/07/2022 21:52

I saw an OP come back on a thread from quite a while ago and was wondering.. if you name change, could someone then take your previous username? Then if they posted (if they had the inclination) they could pretend to be the owner of that previous username?

I know that wasn't the case at all on the thread I saw earlier but sometimes when a poster starts a thread there's someone coming on having searched their username bringing up something they've said previously...

Has anyone ever had a time where they suspect the OP is not actually the OP? Is that even possible or do Mumsnet not let you take someone's previous username?

OP posts:
Apric0tjam · 26/07/2022 21:54

You definitely can't. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Tinkity · 26/07/2022 21:55

Even if you name change, your previous names are still yours & you can change back to them at any point.

Snargle · 26/07/2022 21:56

No. Once a name has been taken, no one else can have it.

The only exception I can remember was when MNHQ auctioned off some user names for charity. I think they were ones that people had registered but hadn't actually posted with.

MNHQ
LilyMumsnet · 26/07/2022 21:57

Hello!

This isn't possible - you own all of your usernames whether you're using them or not!

Original poster
ELM8 · 26/07/2022 21:58

Ahhhh ok thanks Grin

So some people must have bagsied a hell of a lot of usernames...

OP posts:
ShowOfHands · 26/07/2022 22:01

I have over 100 usernames. No bagsying. I've been here 17yrs and have changed name at Christmas and Halloween, for a laugh, on threads where it was warranted etc.

Mamette · 26/07/2022 22:04

Not quite what you’re suggesting, but there was a weird thing a while back where (I assume) trolls were creating user names indistinguishable from real user names of prolific posters. I think BertrandRussell was one. But the troll version had the last “l” in the name as a capital “i”
So you couldn’t tell it wasn’t the real poster.

watcherintherye · 26/07/2022 22:05

I believe there have been cases of posters slightly adapting an existing username (e.g. uppercase I to a 1) in order to ‘impersonate’ the existing user, but I seem to think that’s not permitted, if noticed?

watcherintherye · 26/07/2022 22:05

X post!

Mamette · 26/07/2022 22:07

Great minds @watcherintherye
Yes you’re right, I think- it wasn’t allowed.

takeitandleaveit · 26/07/2022 22:35

I seem to remember on one occasion I innocently changed name to something almost identical to someone else's without realising it. So it was similar to something like 'happyhamsters' when there was already a 'happyhamster'.

By coincidence I was reading a thread soon after, and noticed the other name, so I changed mine straight away to something else.

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 26/07/2022 22:49

Ooh, haven't seen BertrandRussell for a while.
Hope all is well there.

MNHQ
HebeMumsnet · 27/07/2022 12:33

Hi again,

Yes, with usernames like the BertrandRussell incident, that was a clear case of trolling and trying to cause trouble so we'd simply ban for that.

We do often have this happening where it's accidental too, however, as @takeitandleaveit describes. It's a tricky one then - if it were causing issues and the posters were posting in the same places we might ask the 'newer' person to that username if they'd mind changing it. Usually we find most people are happy to do that to avoid confusion.

And obviously there are some usernames that are very similar but sort of ubiquitous like the Mumtotwo or UsernamesAllGone type names where it's kind of obvious that there may well be others about and we think most people would opt for something a bit different if they were bothered about having a similar username to someone else.

Hope that all helps explain a bit further. If you ever have a username query like this though, do just drop us a line. We can usually work something out.

VivaDixie · 27/07/2022 12:48

HebeMumsnet · 27/07/2022 12:33

Hi again,

Yes, with usernames like the BertrandRussell incident, that was a clear case of trolling and trying to cause trouble so we'd simply ban for that.

We do often have this happening where it's accidental too, however, as @takeitandleaveit describes. It's a tricky one then - if it were causing issues and the posters were posting in the same places we might ask the 'newer' person to that username if they'd mind changing it. Usually we find most people are happy to do that to avoid confusion.

And obviously there are some usernames that are very similar but sort of ubiquitous like the Mumtotwo or UsernamesAllGone type names where it's kind of obvious that there may well be others about and we think most people would opt for something a bit different if they were bothered about having a similar username to someone else.

Hope that all helps explain a bit further. If you ever have a username query like this though, do just drop us a line. We can usually work something out.

I had this a few years ago but it wasn't anyone trolling or impersonating me.

I used to have a username which I had used for years and loved, someone came along and did something like [using my current name for the purposes of this thread] changed it from VivaDixie to VivaDixe - I don't think they did it to copy me or anything as I wasn't a prolific poster. It was just coincidence.

I wouldn't mind but the second user was a belligerent sod on threads which I didn't like for the few who knew me on MN. So I asked MNHQ if they could do anything about it - they said that it was up to that user what name they used and I couldn't do anything to stop them 💁

So I namechanged to this [which I also love]

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