Facebook Wants Real Names

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It’s not a new law — it’s just an old one that Facebook never bothered to enforce…until now.  Having real names allows Facebook advertisers to better target users with product ads.  However, for those who’ve forgotten that Facebook was not created for our amusement and entertainment but is in fact a money making machine, plenty of users are up in arms.

“Sister Roma” (middle) with drag queen friends

San Francisco drag queen “Sister Roma” begrudgingly followed the Facebook policy and made the change on her personal profile to “Michael Williams,” a name she has not used publicly for 27 years. Michael “Sister Roma” Williams registered her contempt for the policy on social media, prompting others to come forward with similar claims using the hashtag #MyNameIs.

“Many people use fake names on Facebook for safety reasons,” Roma said. Victims of stalking and relationship abuse have a right to participate in social media anonymously, as do members of the LGBT community who cannot safely be “out,” she said.  Public figures such as Roma have spent years building personas under their drag names on Facebook and have relied on it for socializing and networking.  Now, all that is changing.

The “look the other way” policy of allowing fake names and profiles on Facebook had become somewhat of the norm on the social networking site.  Celebrities have long been able to create a public fan page on Facebook, as well as a private page under a fake name for their families and close friends to follow.  Fake names/profiles have also benefited abuse victims, runaways and anyone who just wanted a controlled level of privacy.

But is Facebook going too far in trying to micro-manage user identities?

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At least 1 person was targeted, even though he used his real name. Chase Silva was born in Hawaii, and his full name is Chase Nahooikaikakeolamauloaokalani Silva.  However, Silva received a notification from Facebook temporarily suspending his account, saying “it looks like you’re not using your real name.”

“I am a proud Hawaiian who wants to be able to display my Hawaiian given name,” Silva said in a Facebook post.  Using his legal middle name would have been overkill.

Doctors, mental health professionals and therapists have also embraced the use of pseudonyms to prevent clients from befriending them.  “It is counterproductive for a client of mine seeking mental health services to be able to, especially at the beginning of our work together, know and see me as I appear on Facebook,” said Benjamin Harden, a pre-doctoral therapist intern in the San Francisco Bay Area, who uses a fake name on Facebook.

“Many of my colleagues also use a fake last name to prevent this exact type of access by our clients.”

“This is bigger than the trans(gender) community,” Roma argued after Facebook declined to change its policy following a meeting with drag queens and a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors. “I don’t have a problem with Facebook. I have a problem with the policy. It’s shortsighted, and I don’t think (Facebook) realizes the far-reaching implications of this policy.”

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Not surprisingly, many outside the LGBT community side with Roma’s view of the policy, calling the right to anonymity “an important element of free speech.”  However, since Facebook describes itself as “a community where people use their real identities” and is a platform policed by community members, other users have been reporting fake profiles.

“We require everyone to provide their real names, so you always know who you’re connecting with. This helps keep our community safe,” Facebook spokesman Andrew Souvall said.  If people want to use alternate identity on Facebook, they can provide aliases under their names on their profiles, or create fan pages specifically for those alternative personas.

“As part of our overall standards, we ask that people who use Facebook provide their real name on their profile.”

Is it understandable and acceptable that Facebook would require real names for its users?  Or has Facebook gone too far with this identity crisis?