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Facebook Killing Real Accounts with Fake-Sounding Names

by Terrence O'Brien on May 19, 2009 at 03:02 PM

In case you didn't know, Facebook demands that you use your real name to create a profile. In the past, plenty of folks, including us, have managed to get around that rule. Now, though, Facebook has started cracking down on people using fake-sounding names. If your real name sounds fake, watch out. You could be shut out of the site.

According to Fox News, Atlanta jewelry designer Alicia Istanbul found herself suddenly locked out of her account, even though Istanbul is her real name. Indeed, real last names, like Istanbul, Strawberry, and Robin Kills The Enemy (a traditional native American name) have set off false alarms at the social networking site. Some users have been barred for good, while others -- like Istanbul -- have fought tooth and nail to have their accounts reinstated (it took Facebook three weeks to reactivate her accound).

Facebook maintains a constantly updating blacklist of names, from the absurd (Batman), to names in current events (Susan Boyle). If you want to get around the blacklist, you must contact Facebook to plead your case and prove your name is real. In some cases, the company has even required users to fax in copies of government issued IDs to prove their name is real. Excessive? We think so.

Facebook could save itself a lot of trouble by making one simple gesture to its members -- notify them. Istanbul and others with "suspicious" names were given no warning, they were simply blocked from their accounts. People might be a little more understanding if you gave them a chance to prove they're real before you revoked their right to poke. [From: Fox News]

Tags: facebook, terms of service, TermsOfService, top

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