Facebook Cuts Off Users With Fake-Sounding Names

mercurial

mercurial

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NEW YORK — Alicia Istanbul woke up one recent Wednesday to find herself locked out of the Facebook account she opened in 2007, one Facebook suddenly deemed fake.

The stay-at-home mom was cut off not only from her 330 friends, including many she had no other way of contacting, but also from the pages she had set up for the jewelry design business she runs from her Atlanta-area home.

Although Istanbul understands why Facebook insists on having real people behind real names for every account, she wonders why the online hangout didn't simply ask before acting.

"They should at least give you a warning, or at least give you the benefit of the doubt," she said. "I was on it all day. I had built my entire social network around it. That's what Facebook wants you to do."

Facebook's effort to purge its site of fake accounts, in the process knocking out some real people with unusual names, marks yet-another challenge for the 5-year-old social network.
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I can see why they did this though. Don't get people that are on there with fake or 'funny' names. Either put your real name on there or why bother at all?
 
I have lots of friends with "fake" nic names...
How do you deem a name fake?
Is Paris Hilton a fake name?
 
hj2k_x said:
I can see why they did this though. Don't get people that are on there with fake or 'funny' names. Either put your real name on there or why bother at all?
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but if they can't properly distinguish between fakes and people that have arb names, how can they just lock out the whole lot? It's like the US Homeland Security's No Fly List which has affected many individuals from flying simply because they share a common name with a suspected terrorist.
 
zamrg said:
but if they can't properly distinguish between fakes and people that have arb names, how can they just lock out the whole lot? It's like the US Homeland Security's No Fly List which has affected many individuals from flying simply because they share a common name with a suspected terrorist.
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I get it...But how are people with wierd sounding real names meant to prove that is their name?
 
zamrg said:
It's like the US Homeland Security's No Fly List which has affected many individuals from flying simply because they share a common name with a suspected terrorist.
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Then I'd never be able to fly to the States :eek:
 
hj2k_x said:
I get it...But how are people with wierd sounding real names meant to prove that is their name?
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That's a task facebook needs to challenge and one which should perhaps involve them being able to confirm the real identity of account holders, and not just 'virtual' identities.

I just don't like the idea of having a 'block all weirdcats' policy and then a whitelist for exceptions. They should rather give their users the benefit of the doubt and have a blacklist exception policy.
 
JK8 said:
Mmmmm but along those lines.
What if your FB name is Mo Gti? They gonna delete you?
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Erm, I am not sure. It is a difficult situation. What I was trying to say is that people who don't use their real names or use multiple accounts, are really really lame :o
 
I know someone whose surname is cum
That's his real surname! Facebook wouldn't allow him to register it at all, so he has to use a fake name...
 
joelus said:
I know someone whose surname is cum
That's his real surname! Facebook wouldn't allow him to register it at all, so he has to use a fake name...
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That is unfortunate. And I understand the use of fake names in that situation, but not a normal chick, called Mandy Smith, who is on FB as Sugar Hota$$ Potatoface. Or whatever. :o
 
zamrg said:
but if they can't properly distinguish between fakes and people that have arb names, how can they just lock out the whole lot? It's like the US Homeland Security's No Fly List which has affected many individuals from flying simply because they share a common name with a suspected terrorist.
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The best of it all is, I don't know of any terrorist that would use his Actual name when going to the USA ... They just ain't that stupid!

Getting back to the FB situation... I know a few of my friends might have their accounts closed as well. Some call themselves on their Nick+surname and not Name + Surname.
 
I made my name a fake one the other day and they did not approve it (because it's still the same). Hope they don't delete my account :D
 
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