I made bank writing. My account was shadowbanned after rising popularity.

[Equilibrium]

Just another reminder not to rely on other platforms folks.
For the past year I've been making side money writing.
I have no intention on making full-time income from writing and did it just bring attention to issues
I did not rely on this income nor do I intend to in the future. Writing is not my Fastlane goal in the slightest.

132k Views on one article. 22k on the next one and a rehash of my article posted on Eurogamer the next day.
I wrote about privacy and security, data in a dying privacy age highlighting shady practices.
my writing was featured by a privacy blog on the same platform, and much of my traffic came from the in the ''Chrome Suggestions''
you get when you open a browser.

Until it didn't.
One day I get a tip that my account is suspended. I log in everything is okay.
Then I check my article from another IP and get this message

Error 500
This account is under investigation or was found in violation of the Medium Rules.
There are thousands of stories to read on Medium. Visit our homepage
to find one that’s right for you.

Logged in I can see my articles, and create new ones. They are simply in a shadow realm that only I see.
This happened shortly after I pointed the finger at Roku for shady business practices.
it's ingenious actually. Now all the people who shared a link simply go to a dead site, and you nix the problem.

Medium does not respond.
Since they have paid me for my work I'm considering getting them in legal trouble since a lot of my writing deals with whistleblowing and I have proof they have suppressed other whistleblowers work.

Do I expect to come out of this standing triumphant with the evil (insert company name of choice) head held high like a war trophy?
Nope. I just get enraged when I see people mistreated, and my pen becomes the sword.

It seems in this case medium closed my account, shadow-banned me for their interest, and won't respond for their own reasons.
I do wonder (and intend to test) if any account can be closed with a stack of cash. If so I'll have a new article to write and this one for the Times.

However.. that's not the point I wrote this.
You see I never intended for writing to be a money maker. I simply wrote because I enjoyed it, because it was nighttime and I was awake with a coffee and the words flow.
I simply type down my thoughts, mark them as such and enough people agreed that the content became monetary value.
so it doesn't really matter that my account was closed. But it's a good tale of caution for those who think working for another platform is the answer to success.

Work for a platform and you are prime to be cut off whenever they choose.
I did not rely on this income. But it's easy to imagine someone who put everything they have into a online system that can be closed with a click.

I don't log into Fastlane forums often as I don't often have exciting news to share.
I'm committed to the Fastlane, and don't intend to slow down. This was a interesting little speed-bump that could be a trap for others.

Let this tale be a warning for those ahead.
Get to large on something you don't own yourself.. and you will be mowed down.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

Katv epuvjis sinopfis puv vu simz up uvjis qmevgusnt gumlt.
Gus vji qetv zies O'wi ciip neloph tofi nupiz xsovoph.

132l Woixt up upi esvodmi. 22l up vji piyv upi epf e sijetj ug nz esvodmi qutvif up Iasuhenis vji piyv fez.
O xsuvi ecuav qsowedz epf tidasovz, feve op e fzoph qsowedz ehi johjmohjvoph tjefz qsedvodit.
nz xsovoph xet gievasif cz e qsowedz cmuh up vji teni qmevgusn, epf nadj ug nz vseggod deni gsun vji op vji ''Djsuni Tahhitvoupt''
zua hiv xjip zua uqip e csuxtis.

Apvom ov fofp'v.
Upi fez O hiv e voq vjev nz edduapv ot tatqipfif. O muh op iwiszvjoph ot ulez.
Vjip O djidl nz esvodmi gsun epuvjis OQ epf hiv vjot nittehi

Issus 500
Vjot edduapv ot apfis opwitvohevoup us xet guapf op woumevoup ug vji Nifoan Samit.
Vjisi esi vjuatepft ug tvusoit vu sief up Nifoan. Wotov uas juniqehi
vu gopf upi vjev’t sohjv gus zua.

Muhhif op O dep tii nz esvodmit, epf dsievi pix upit. Vjiz esi tonqmz op e tjefux siemn vjev upmz O tii.
Vjot jeqqipif tjusvmz egvis O quopvif vji gophis ev Sula gus tjefz catopitt qsedvodit.
ov't ophipouat edvaemmz. Pux emm vji qiuqmi xju tjesif e mopl tonqmz hu vu e fief tovi, epf zua poy vji qsucmin.

Nifoan fuit puv sitqupf.
Topdi vjiz jewi qeof ni gus nz xusl O'n duptofisoph hivvoph vjin op mihem vsuacmi topdi e muv ug nz xsovoph fiemt xovj xjotvmicmuxoph epf O jewi qsuug vjiz jewi taqqsittif uvjis xjotvmicmuxist xusl.

Fu O iyqidv vu duni uav ug vjot tvepfoph vsoanqjepv xovj vji iwom (optisv dunqepz peni ug djuodi) jief jimf johj moli e xes vsuqjz?
Puqi. O katv hiv ipsehif xjip O tii qiuqmi notvsievif, epf nz qip cidunit vji txusf.

Ov tiint op vjot deti nifoan dmutif nz edduapv, tjefux-ceppif ni gus vjios opvisitv, epf xup'v sitqupf gus vjios uxp sietupt.
O fu xupfis (epf opvipf vu vitv) og epz edduapv dep ci dmutif xovj e tvedl ug detj. Og tu O'mm jewi e pix esvodmi vu xsovi epf vjot upi gus vji Vonit.

Juxiwis.. vjev't puv vji quopv O xsuvi vjot.
Zua tii O piwis opvipfif gus xsovoph vu ci e nupiz nelis. O tonqmz xsuvi cideati O ipkuzif ov, cideati ov xet pohjvvoni epf O xet exeli xovj e duggii epf vji xusft gmux.
O tonqmz vzqi fuxp nz vjuahjvt, nesl vjin et tadj epf ipuahj qiuqmi ehsiif vjev vji dupvipv cideni nupivesz wemai.
tu ov fuitp'v siemmz nevvis vjev nz edduapv xet dmutif. Cav ov't e huuf vemi ug deavoup gus vjuti xju vjopl xusloph gus epuvjis qmevgusn ot vji eptxis vu tadditt.

Xusl gus e qmevgusn epf zua esi qsoni vu ci dav ugg xjipiwis vjiz djuuti.
O fof puv simz up vjot opduni. Cav ov't ietz vu onehopi tuniupi xju qav iwiszvjoph vjiz jewi opvu e upmopi tztvin vjev dep ci dmutif xovj e dmodl.

O fup'v muh opvu Getvmepi gusant ugvip et O fup'v ugvip jewi iydovoph pixt vu tjesi.
O'n dunnovvif vu vji Getvmepi, epf fup'v opvipf vu tmux fuxp. Vjot xet e opvisitvoph movvmi tqiif-canq vjev duamf ci e vseq gus uvjist.

Miv vjot vemi ci e xespoph gus vjuti ejief.
Hiv vu meshi up tunivjoph zua fup'v uxp zuastimg.. epf zua xomm ci nuxif fuxp.

Tadlt xjev jeqqipif vu zua cav zua woumevif vji sami ug dupvsum. Vjiz jewi iwisz sohjv vu dmuti zuas edduapv gus epz sietup xjev tu iwis. Zua qsucecmz ehsiif vu ov xjip zua nefi vji edduapv. Djidl vjios visnt ug tiswodi. Epf vjiz qsucecmz fofp'v hiv qezif vu tjav ov fuxp nezci cuvj dunqepoit jewi vji teni uxpist. Vjios qmevgusn vjios samit.

Cav nezci zua jewi guapf e huuf podji. Tu dsievi zuas uxp qistupem cmuh epf upmz xsovi iyqutoph esvodmit ecuav vji henoph opfatvsz.

 

[Richard Peck]

O'wi jef e tonomes qsucmin xovj Niofan cigusi, citv vu fimivi zuas edduapv epf liiq ov up zuas uxp tovi.

 

[SEBASTlAN]

Xsovi up zuas uxp cmuh. Siqacmotj up Nifoan. Qsucmin tumwif.

 

[estheticparadis]

Hiv zuas uxp cmuh gen

 

[Equilibrium]

Gumlt, O qutvif vjot op 2015
Xsovoph ot epf emxezt jet ciip e juccz tonomes vu jux tuni qiuqmi deswi tueq. O piwis opvipfif vu neli nupiz gsun ov, epf O gasvjisnusi fup'v opvipf vu. Ov't puv ep opdunoph neloph qmep. Ov't e simeyoph xez vu apxopf xovj e juv daq ug duggii.

Ov't vsai upi dep neli huuf nupiz gsun xsovoph, iwip caomf vjintimwit ep inqosi gsun fuoph tu, moli jux Emiy Moicisnep tvesvif vji Nuspoph Csix pixtmivvis. Op gedv, howip vji vsedvoup vjev O fu xsovi jet op quqamesovz, O duamf neli ep opduni gsun ov. Juxiwis, O jewi bisu opvisitv op fuoph tu.

Epz opduni vjev dunit gsun xsovoph ot tonqmz cideati O jewi ipuahj woixt vu tipf e djidl nz xez. Vjisi ot pu edvoup velip up nz qesv etofi gsun xsovoph, epf O raovi tonqmz fu puv xepv vu ci e xsovis gus qsugov.

Ni CIOPH e xsovis dunit gsun castvt ug dsievowovz uwis e juv daq ug duggii—puvjoph nusi epf puvjoph mitt.

Xjomi O eqqsidoevi vji tipvonipv, kect, epf qsuft vuxesft ni xsovoph e cmuh ug nz uxp, qmieti miv ni iyqmeop vjev O jewi pu opvisitv op fuoph tu.
Gus upi jutvoph e cmuh dunit xovj ovt uxp ottait, opdmafoph cav puv monovif vu tqen epf voni opwitvif.

Iedj voni O hiv dunnipvt up vjot vjsief, O fu puv siqmz cideati voni qettif. Cav ov enatif ni vjev O en tvomm hivvoph siqmoit ecuav ''tvesvoph e cmuh'' vji wisz vjoph O fup'v xepv vu fu gowi ziest mevis.

Vjot qutv xet opovoemmz dsievif et e cov ug e sinopfis vu uvjist puv vu simz up uvjis qmevgusnt. Cav, apmoli nz tvusz ug cioph e xsovis, Xjip e qutv huv quqames epf tjuxif vji apfiscimmz ug e dunqepz, vjiz evvinqvif vu tomipdi vji tuasdi cz jewoph vji esvodmi sinuwif gsun vji opvispiv.

Topdi e gix qiuqmi esi opwitvif op vjot tvusz, O emtu aqfevi iwiszupi xju gopft vjot vjsief op vji gavasi. Vji edduapv xet sitvusif. Cav vji quopv ug vji mopi xet puv vji edvoup xet velip cav vji apfismzoph iwipv ug e dunqepz tjavvoph fuxp xjev duamf ci ep ipvsiqsipias't qmep.

OG O jef fiqipfif up xsovoph et opduni (O fup'v) epf OG O jef atif vjot qmevgusn, puv uxpif cz nztimg, vu neli nupiz, vjip vji edvoup ug jewoph vji edduapv dmutif xuamf jewi ciip fiwetvevoph. Gushiv vji xsovoph. Dunqesi vjot optvief vu tuniupi xju vjoplt vjios inqosi sapt apfeapvif xjip vjiz fsuq-tjoq qsufadvt gsun Emocece vu Enebup. Op vjot tdipesou, tjuamf iovjis dunqepz dmuti duppidvoupt, vjios qmep ot saopif.

Vjot qutv ot e sinopfis vu vjuti up vjios qevj ug vji Getvmepi, fup'v hiv iptpesif op vidjpodem ficv voif vu epuvjis dunqepz. Gushi zuas uxp gavasi.

Et gus ni, O xomm puv ci tvesvoph e cmuh epzvoni tuup. O xsovi qasimz gus ipkuznipv. Epf jupitvmz, O fup'v vjopl O'n vjev huuf.
Nz uxp dunqepz jet puvjoph xjevtuiwis vu fu xovj xsovoph, epf O'n ulez xovj vjev.

Xjomi O eqqsidoevi zua siefoph nz qutv, O ettasi zua vjisi esi nadj nusi wemaecmi vjsieft. Tu nez O opvsufadi zua vu vji optofis't fotdattoupt?

 

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[Odysseus M Jones]

Ov tiint vjot gusan ot zuas "Nifoan"
Qap opvipfif.

Epzxez, xjev ot zuas getvmepi jatvmi?