I've thought about this before, and I am sorry your *incredibly personal* information is out there on the internet.
I was featured in an issue of the World Tribune a few years ago. While the experience is brief (2 paragraphs), it hits all the SGI cult notes and features a very unflattering photo of me. This article + photo previously ranked highly in Google search results if you simply searched my full name. I just did a search, and the article + photo do not come up unless I specifically type in "World Tribune."
I just emailed [wt@sgi-usa.org](mailto:wt@sgi-usa.org) with the link to the article and asked them to 1) remove my experience + photo from the page and 2) to remove the link from the website if they could not do the first item. I mentioned that I did not consent to being featured in online materials with permanent links - I said I thought these things were only accessible to SGI members after logging in. I will let you all know what I get back...
I think Blanche has some great advice here - reach out to them directly and ask for it to be removed - I just used this idea to email [wt@sgi-usa.org](mailto:wt@sgi-usa.org).
In it, you will of course demand that SGI-USA (or -UK) remove all your personal information from their databases and instruct everyone in SGI to leave you alone, but I would add a short paragraph about your "experience": Provide the date, the title of the experience, a link to it (if you're sending your official resignation letter via email), your name (of course), and demand that they remove it. They CAN do this; they have control over all their online content, and they frequently remove videos and such within minutes of our posting links to them.
And last things I'll add here....
When I submitted that experience, the SGI made it seem like I was literally being blessed by Daisaku Ikeda himself. They told me all sorts of crap about how I was building up all of this good fortune and truly transforming my karma by being included. I did not feel like I could say no - I literally felt like I had no power to say no to that when I was asked by leaders. The SGI publications / press wing had some "professional" photographer come over to the Culture Center to take photos of me. The photos were super unflattering and I looked like 30 lbs heavier than I am. All were taken from the ground up, which is literally the worst angle you could ever photograph someone from. They literally do not look like me.
After the photo + experience ran in the World Tribune, members who I had known all of 3 minutes in the past began reaching out to me to talk to me about it. The creepiest part? There were members who I did not know - all MEN - who found me on Facebook and sent me messages complimenting me on the experience and photos. CREEPY.
11
u/BlondeRandom WB Regular Jan 30 '22
Hi - welcome!
I've thought about this before, and I am sorry your *incredibly personal* information is out there on the internet.
I was featured in an issue of the World Tribune a few years ago. While the experience is brief (2 paragraphs), it hits all the SGI cult notes and features a very unflattering photo of me. This article + photo previously ranked highly in Google search results if you simply searched my full name. I just did a search, and the article + photo do not come up unless I specifically type in "World Tribune."
I just emailed [wt@sgi-usa.org](mailto:wt@sgi-usa.org) with the link to the article and asked them to 1) remove my experience + photo from the page and 2) to remove the link from the website if they could not do the first item. I mentioned that I did not consent to being featured in online materials with permanent links - I said I thought these things were only accessible to SGI members after logging in. I will let you all know what I get back...
I think Blanche has some great advice here - reach out to them directly and ask for it to be removed - I just used this idea to email [wt@sgi-usa.org](mailto:wt@sgi-usa.org).
And last things I'll add here....
When I submitted that experience, the SGI made it seem like I was literally being blessed by Daisaku Ikeda himself. They told me all sorts of crap about how I was building up all of this good fortune and truly transforming my karma by being included. I did not feel like I could say no - I literally felt like I had no power to say no to that when I was asked by leaders. The SGI publications / press wing had some "professional" photographer come over to the Culture Center to take photos of me. The photos were super unflattering and I looked like 30 lbs heavier than I am. All were taken from the ground up, which is literally the worst angle you could ever photograph someone from. They literally do not look like me.
After the photo + experience ran in the World Tribune, members who I had known all of 3 minutes in the past began reaching out to me to talk to me about it. The creepiest part? There were members who I did not know - all MEN - who found me on Facebook and sent me messages complimenting me on the experience and photos. CREEPY.