The View from Inside bondage.com: Domineye

As Editor in Chief of bondage.com, I regret to be the bearer of disturbing news. I'd personally and professionally like to apologize for allowing this to happen under my eyes when there are some very simple measures I should have taken to ensure a situation like this never occurred. Needless to say, steps are in place now to help avoid this in the future, but that doesn't make up for the problems that occurred.

You may notice the complete lack of stories written by the well-liked author named Domineye. As it turns out, and as you can read in the message from Domineye below, I, bondage.com, and others were taken in by our naivety and trust in people. We all know people masquerade as others in IRC and on the Internet, but few have so carefully constructed a deception like this. Domineye is not the female Dominant we grew to respect over the years, in fact, she is a he and he is an author who began this deception in the name of research.

While anonymity can be debated as one of the Internet's biggest benefits and downfalls, this is a case that shows the kind of pain that can be created by overindulgence in masquerading as someone you are not. Domineye deceived many and affected the lives of vast numbers of people across the Internet with his writing and personality. The end is at hand and you can see the results below.

I'd like to emphasize that the gentleman formerly known as Domineye is more than contrite, and ask that people not bombard him with hate mail or threats. He knows what he did wrong, is taking personal responsibility, and feels plenty awful about it.

I will not attempt to discuss or philosophize at this time -- I will address this subject thoroughly in my next column. Please read the message from Domineye below and understand that I have edited it to remove any references to people who are involved in this.

Sincerest Apologies and Regrets,

--pace, Editor in Chief, bondage.com (editorchief@bondage.com.)

From DOMINEYE to EVERYONE:

I am a fraud -- complete fiction.

I don't feel good about this but I have to do it -- maybe it will serve as a warning to others.

I became an addict, you see.

What I did was unforgivable, yet I find myself asking your forgiveness. I am an author; I joined the IRC community about three years ago as a male author. One female submissive, whose nickname I shall gloss over, wanted to speak to a woman, so the author in me provided her with one -- the name of a security camera company I was doing some work for -- Domineye -- provided an identity. I was not intending to be malicious, just to see what transpired. I found it fascinating - so much material for a book. I started to get hooked.

I know there are loads of other men masquerading as women on the Internet chat lines. It happens, we men are weak like that. I excused it by the fact I was an author, researching characters.

I built up a character in the way authors do, surrounded it with a family to make it believable, until it became a challenge to keep it going. After all, what harm could it do?

Then there were the stories pages - too good to resist. I sent one in, it got published. People wanted more, fed my ego, hooked me further in. I wrote more, I invented fiendish devices, all of which would work, I am an engineer too, and, I hope enriched people with them. I championed the cause of the abused submissive, I would not tolerate any abuse.

Little did I consider that I was the abuser by my very deception.

Maybe it would have been OK if I'd stayed detached. But I allowed myself to get into relationships. At first I didn't believe people could genuinely have cyber relationships, but now I know I was immature and naive in believing that. I should have come clean, ended it, but it really was addictive.

It took a woman I met via the Internet to show me the error of my ways, to remove the blindfold. She is a submissive who I fell completely in love with and because of this I have lost her. Life is bitter-sweet at times, no?

To everyone -- take care. Treat others with respect.

Goodbye,

Domineye.