Member Tools and Ward and Stake Directory now shows your name stake-wide-even if you chose "leadership only." How do I g

I found out about a year and a half ago that the Church changed the privacy settings in Member Tools and the Stake and Ward Directory on the church website so that now everyone in your stake can see your name and the names of any adult household members, even if you previously selected “leadership only” for visibility. The only exception is if your membership record is in a “protected status”, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

I’m moving into a new ward soon, and unfortunately there are people in that stake who deeply impacted my mental health in the past—people I never wanted to see or be seen by again.

I feel sick thinking about them being able to pull me up in the directory and see that I’m in the stake in a specific ward. It used to be you could hide that, but now it’s forced unless you’re “protected.”

Has anyone here ever had their record placed in protected status? Do you know how that process works? Is it something I can request because of mental health reasons or past trauma? I don’t want to deal with leadership and members I don’t trust. I don’t want to be visible to people who caused me pain.

I feel like this change quietly stripped away my one sense of control and safety, and I honestly don’t know what to do. Any help, advice, or stories would mean a lot right now.

My thoughts are to connect with the new Bishop, and perhaps even the new Stake President, and request a meeting with them. Beyond your concerns about directory visibility, for a situation as delicate as yours, there will inevitably be ways that others will become aware of your membership in the new Ward and Stake (especially if you plan on being an active participant whether in-person or virtually). Taking time to meet with your new priesthood leader and counsel together about your specific situation, will help him understand your circumstances, and he can then counsel with his other leaders to help them better support you. Having open communication with church leaders about sensitive topics, can be just as important in providing meaningful support, as any clerical actions (as important as those may also be).

My uninformed guess is that a "protected status" record may relate to legal matters, and thus not directly applicable to your situation. But perhaps other Forum members have awareness of what that is, and if a local Bishop or Stake President has discretion to utilize that to completely hide a membership record from other members/leaders.