Facebook: not funny

[flaviomatani]

This is getting beyond funny (which it never was). Another six friends have disappeared from my Facebook friends' list this morning, their profiles presumably deleted by the 'real name' FB police.

Comments

[ninshubur.livejournal.com]

Because Facebook wants to maintain the illusion that there are only real people on their website (which for them means no people with funny names) and furthermore wants to push people whose name is their brand into using a page for self-promotion. The new wording of "name you go by" or "authentic name" is just window dressing because ultimately they always demand official id once your account is flagged for verification.

Somewhat bizarrely, somebody in my friend list has just been forced to open a new Facebook profile in her OLD name, even though she had changed her name by deed poll (and could therefore prove her ID), because Facebook deemed the profile under her proper name to be used in a primarily commercial manner and therefore converted it into a page which in turn forced her to create a new account in what is technically not her real name anymore because you obviously need a "normal" profile to administer a page.

[djpsyche.livejournal.com]

Oh FFS! But this is useful information anyway -- I'm considering changing my name by deed poll (then changing it back again), so Facebook will accept this documentation as proof of name?

[ninshubur.livejournal.com]

I have no idea whether the deed poll documentation itself suffices or whether you need an official form of ID that has been amended to show the name you changed to, although I suspect the latter. Anyway, Facebook could still decide to boot you or turn your profile into a page for some spurious reason if they like to. They don't have a legal obligation to provide you with their service and once a particular name has been flagged as suspicious and is deemed to be "not a real name" they seem to be very, very reluctant to allow anybody to use it in a profile, even if you present evidence that it is indeed used as your name on an official document.