An LSE gossip blog targeting student politicians has shut down citing “threats to file complaints against this blog to the Students Union and School”.

James Bacon, former LSESU Returning Officer accused the students behind ‘Hack Attack’ of using the site to harass him and others, and threatened to instigate disciplinary proceedings against him.

Main blog contributor and communications sabbatical officer elect Dan Sheldon subsequently took the site down.

Concerns have been raised that the moves against the blog form part of a political strategy, with students planning to run for sabbatical positions next year not wanting a record of past misdemeanours for freshers to find online.

Sheldon said: “People who are planning to run for sabbaticals don’t want an independent publication holding them to account.”

Recently, Hack Attack has covered union elections and alleged fraudulent voting by a candidate for RAG presidency, Ben Phillips. Sheldon said this was one of the examples which Bacon regards as harassment: “[He] says this was personal bullying, we say it was legitimate public interest.”

He added: “James has not previously voiced concerns about the content of Hack Attack - it seems odd that he has raised this now, in the middle of the exam period when an article about him hasn’t been published for some time.

“In the past, when James requested that we did not report a specific event about him, we respected his wishes.”

“There is a balance between the right to privacy and legitimate criticism of public figures within Students’ Unions. I do not believe we have got this balance wrong so far. It is most definitely not a news outlet - it is a mischief making gossip blog which regularly publishes falsehoods, hearsay and satire.”

He claims it is a boon for LSE student politics: “A lot of people not usually involved like the salacious gossip aspect.”

Bacon told London Student: “Whilst Hack Attack began as a site for friendly banter it soon become a site for malicious personal attack. In an endeavour to prevent this site from adulterating our Union in the coming year I took issue with its content. It saddens me that there is a place in our Union that can only described as a gossip mill, harassment by another name.”

LSE General Secretary Fadhil Bakeer Markar said: “We very much welcome the decision taken by Hack Attack to shut down the blog. LSESU would like to reiterate that this site had no connection to the LSE nor the Students’ Union and this decision came as the SU was considering how best to respond to the concerns several students have raised about the recent content, which in our mind was clearly defamatory and inappropriate.”

Aled Dilwyn Fisher, LSESU General Secretary-elect said: “We’ve all had our problems with Hack Attack, but my biggest concern is that if it goes for good then something a lot more anonymous, a lot more vicious and a lot less accountable will spring up in its place.”

LSE newspaper The Beaver’s editor-elect, Joseph Cotterill, told London Student: “From a mainstream media perspective, I have to say that most of the Beaver staff have welcomed Hack Attack coming onto the scene.

“The Beaver has a tradition of reporting similar stories on the hack community, although we haven’t really done so in the past year. You have to expect some level of public scrutiny when you stand for public office.

“Hack Attack also covered the recent Beaver election, giving some Beaver staff slightly offensive nicknames, so we’ve been on receiving end but we take in our stride because we are, to an extent, public figures ourselves.”

Sheldon remains defiant: “Next year, being a Sabbatical Officer, I will not be writing for Hack Attack anymore. However, I hope it is revived, and I hope it holds me in the same amount of contempt that it has shown to others this year. As I have always said: I hope that Hack Attack treats everyone equally unfairly.”

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