After more than seven years of anonymity, the identity of the founder behind Tattle Life—a notorious online gossip forum—has been revealed as Sebastian Bond, a UK citizen also known by the alias Bastian Durward.
Bond, a content creator and the owner of the plant-based recipe brand Nest and Glow, has been publicly unmasked following a landmark legal battle and a global forensic investigation led by an Irish couple, Neil and Donna Sands.
The Sands, who operate businesses in Northern Ireland, initiated legal action in February 2021 after discovering a 45-page thread about them on Tattle Life, which the court described as “a calculated exercise of extreme cynicism,” containing defamatory and false claims.
By December 2023, the High Court ruled in their favor, awarding them £150,000 each in damages and imposing freezing orders on assets worth over £1 million linked to Bond’s companies: Kumquat Tree Limited (Hong Kong) and Yuzu Zest Limited (UK).
Tattle Life, launched in 2018, has been widely criticized as one of the most toxic corners of the internet, fostering anonymous, invasive, and often damaging discussions about public figures, influencers, and ordinary individuals. Despite its claims to champion free speech, the platform has been accused of enabling harassment, doxxing, and privacy violations, with many victims reporting severe personal and professional consequences.
Bond attempted to obscure his involvement and financial gains by operating through international jurisdictions and multiple corporate entities. However, digital evidence and a thorough forensic investigation led to the lifting of reporting restrictions in June 2025, exposing his role as the operator of Tattle Life. The judge presiding over the case condemned Bond’s conduct as “reckless,” noting that he allowed the platform to be used for “serious harassment” and profited from the site’s notoriety.
With further legal review scheduled for June 26, 2025, the case sets a significant precedent for accountability in online anonymity and digital defamation, signaling that the internet is not a consequence-free zone for those who enable or profit from harassment.
