Belgian Influencer Faces Harassment After Address Disclosure Law

A former candidate on The Voice Flanders in 2014, and now a star on social networks, she has 180,000 subscribers on YouTube and 210,000 on Tik Tok. She will not have enjoyed her fame for long. Even though the law that required influencers to post their address online has now been canceled, the damage is already done for Jamilla Baidou who now finds herself at the mercy of her harassers. "I also just wanted to show what could happen if we simply exposed our address," said Jamilla Baidou. "It’s no longer safe, we’re afraid in our own home," she told Het Nieuwsblad.

Even though she has become a star on Youtube and TikTok, her videos are not appreciated by everyone and push some to hurl hateful remarks at her. She is pleased that the law has been repealed and hopes the government will be able to help protect her privacy. "I’m happy for the other influencers. And us? I’m not asking for an army at the door, but something that guarantees us more security," Baidou said. "It’s just that it’s no longer safe, we don’t feel at home anymore," she lamented.

She confides to have lived through horrible moments. "The first few days, it started quietly with adorable fans, I thought I might be exaggerating. But in the evening, a stranger suddenly showed up at the door. We finally talked to this man and he told us he had an appointment with Jens, my roommate," Jamilla recounts.

Apparently, someone had posted her address on an anonymous discussion forum for sexual encounters. "We saw this as a ridiculous joke. But that same night, the doorbell rang again. Another person showed up for an evening. I don’t blame these men, they are also victims. But the fact that our address is being used is unacceptable," said Baidou, who plans to move soon.