[coldpie]

Sorry that happened. There are two things every technology user should understand:

1) If you do not own the hardware your data lives on and the entire software stack to access and use your data, then you do not have control of your data and you may lose it at any time.

2) There is no such thing as computer security. If your data is on a networked computer, it should be considered semi-public.

Closed-source and for-profit companies are constantly trying to take control of your data away from you and reassure that it is safe and secure, but it is not. You must be prepared for your data stored in someone else's services to be destroyed or made public at any time. I'm sorry you learned this one the hard way :(

If it's any consolation, a LinkedIn account is not required for getting a job. I've never had one and I have a career I'm very happy with. I can't speak to getting funding or payment processor stuff, but I have a hard time believing it's a hard requirement there, either.

[qbqetell]

Oh, I have learnt the hard way. Life is already tough for a founder. And things like this only make you reluctant to get up in the morning.