Unlike other social media networks like Twitter, where you can be anyone you like as long as you’re not trying to impersonate say, the Queen of England, on Facebook, users are required to use their real names on the site. One British woman made a big change to her identity in order to regain access to her account, only to be kept waiting to find out her fate.
The London Facebook user had been going by a fake name on the site — a no-no, according to Facebook policy — in order to avoid an onslaught of friend requests from people she had no interest in being in touch with, reports The Independent.
When Facebook realized she’d been using the site under a pseudonym, her account was suspended, according to company policy, and she lost access to all her photos and contacts. At first she went the way of forgery, faking a bank card bearing the made-up name and sending a photo of it to the powers that be. Facebook didn’t fall for it.
She then turned to the law, and changed her name by deed poll so she could get the pseudonym on official documents and finally get her stuff back.
Alas, she’s still waiting on word from Facebook whether the lengths she went to to make the fake-now-real-name official will open the door to her account. Instead, she’s received automated responses that the network is looking into her issue.
“I can’t believe I’m stuck with this stupid name and I still can’t get into my Facebook,” she told The Independent. “I know I’ve been a complete moron, but Facebook [is] being ridiculous,” she said. “I’ve been locked out of my account for five weeks now and have lost all of my photos, messages and precious memories.”
She’s not alone in wanting to go by a pseudonym on Facebook. Last month, a group called #MyNameIs, made up of members of the LGBT community, Native Americans, domestic violence survivors and others, protested outside Facebook’s California headquarters over its real name policy, notes Mashable.
London woman has to change name by deed poll to log in to Facebook [The Independent]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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