Dear Facebook. Words Are Meaningless

Never in my life, have I seen a CEO or Founder as divorced from his own company workings as Mark Zuckerberg is from Facebook. 

In recent days, too many of my friends are getting booted from Facebook over the “real name” policy.  According to Facebook, this policy is designed to protect users from abuse. 

“[The policy] helps keep people safe,” said Zuckerberg in a Q&A session. “We know that people are much less likely to try to act abusively towards other members of our community when they’re using their real names.

However “real name” doesn’t have to be legal name.  At least that is what both Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and Zuckerberg have insisted.  Rather, the “real name” is “whatever you go by.”

“There is some confusion about what our policy actually is,” the CEO wrote during a Facebook Q&A. “Real name does not mean your legal name. Your real name is whatever you go by and what your friends call you. If your friends all call you by a nickname and you want to use that name on Facebook, you should be able to do that.”

Someone might want to inform the Facebook support team. 

Currently, if your account is flagged for being fake, Facebook will requires you to prove your identity in one of three ways.  1) Government ID, such as a Passport or Driver’s License, 2) two Non-Governmental IDs such as a letter or transit card.  Or 3) forms of ID that can confirm your name, and date of birth or photo.  Presumably the latter is the method you can use to prove your “real name.”  But unless you get your junk mail with “the name you go by”.  Your pretty much out of luck.

Actually, your probably still out of luck.

Jemmaroid Von Laalaa, took a route that I seriously contemplated.  Jemmaroid (formally known as Jemma Rodgers) changed her legal name.  Yet according to The Telegraph, Facebook was still reluctant to let her in.  In fact, it took 6 weeks before Jemmaroid was allowed back in. 

A Facebook spokesperson told CNET "Facebook asks people to use their authentic names, as we believe this makes people more accountable for what they say. In this instance, we made a mistake, but we reactivated the account last week. We apologize for any inconvenience that this caused."

Before that, a number of Trans women were subjected to this same treatment.  After a protest in front of Facebook’s office, they were able to get the policy changed for them.  It would seem the only way to force Facebook to use your “real name.” is to make them look like crap to the media.  That, or know someone on the inside it seems.

A quick look at CPO Chris Cox friends list shows some have found a way to skirt the rules.  Or at least get look the other way.  Names like Boz, Archibong, Luu-Van, Tutu and Trollman all appear. One of these names are Monomymous, meaning that they have only have one name.  Yet Facebook requires two.  Are these legitimate names?  How would these people feel being required to prove their identity?  And how was this one person able to create a mononymous name?

But somehow this real name policy is supposed to protect us.  Zuckerberg emphasized that a real name requirement exists, at least in part, to protect Facebook users. “There are plenty of cases — for example, a woman leaving an abusive relationship and trying to avoid her violent ex-husband — where preventing the ex-husband from creating profiles with fake names and harassing her is important. As long as he’s using his real name, she can easily block him.”

First, this is assuming the violent ex-husband is using a real name.  A person is not required to prove their ID at the account’s creation.  Thus, it’s more likely that said ex-husband will create an account that is nowhere near his real name and use it to continue his abuse.  It would only get reported if this name is identified as being fake.  Using a normal-sounding name, like John Smith, likely won’t get a second look from someone reporting it.

Not only does the real name policy fail to protect users from abuse, it is also a tool for abuse.  In several incidents people who have or use pseudonyms have been reported for no reason except revenge.  When the members of the Trans community spoke out, many were being reported by a person who’s only goal was to torture Trans women.  A friend of mine was reported by a family member because her name was “Insulting to the family name.”  (Her last name is Rice.  She called herself “Fried Rice).  Another friend was reported because he too was Monynomous.  Unlike Mr. Cox friend, he had to create a fake second name.  This was reported for being fake.  My crime was speaking out on a political issue I care deeply about.  I did not harassing any individual.  Simply speaking my mind on a news site. 

Many of the people who are victims of this policy have been on since the beginning.  My account was created when Facebook still required a .edu email address another friend who’s account was suspended had one “since Facebook was born.”  If a person intended to be abusive with a pseudonym for that long.  Surely they would have done so by now. 

What Facebook fails to realize is that many of these pseudonyms, themselves, a form of protection.  I personally use a pseudonym to prevent employers, coworkers, family, and other individuals I do not want to be able to find me from locating me and harassing me.  Others its more serious than that.  LGBT individuals may use pseudonyms to keep their family from prying into their lives or discovering their sexuality.  Many will use Pseudonyms to protect them from abusive relationships, a method much safer than trusting a partner to use his/her real name.  Decedents from repressive regimes, and people hiding from gangs and cartels, use pseudonyms to protect themselves or love ones they may have had to leave behind.  Many famous individuals use pseudonyms to connect with loved ones in private without being crushed by fans.  Others may have real names that do not line up with their Stage names, which is more commonly known.  And while Facebook prides itself in being progressive, those who’s name doesn’t line up with their gender, as well as Native Americans have found themselves repeatedly proving their name is real.