Rights groups: Darn you Facebook with your 'government names'

The ZuckerBorg's continued refusal to assimilate anyone who won't provide their "real" name to the site has provoked an angry letter from 75 human rights, digital rights, LGBTQ and women's rights advocates. Facebook has always claimed its "real name" policy protects users from harassment, as without the right to anonymity …

[Your alien overlord - fear me]

Hide your real name on the internet? Who would do something like that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Masssterrr...

I for one, welcome and fear you...

[Anonymous Coward]

Or...

You could just... not use Facebook...

[Anonymous Coward]

Real name?

Legally in the UK, you can use any name you like, so long as there is no intent to defraud. So what is a real name? I have (I think) five FB accounts, none of them in my real name!

[Squander Two]

Re: Real name?

Yes, this whole idea of a "real" name is an American thing that works in some other jurisdictions and not others. As usual, a Silicon Valley company has difficulty comprehending that the whole world isn't California.

[The Dude]

Re: Real name?

I am still trying to sort out what my "real" name is. The one I had shortly after birth? The one my adoptive parents gave me? The one the church gave me? The one my mother calls me? The name (or is it really the number) on government documents?

I know it's not the one my wife has for me, but that's to be expected.

[Nigel Brown]

Can i just point out one thing?

My real name isn't Nigel Brown. How simple was that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello Not Nigel

My name IS "Anonymous Coward" but facebook doesn't accept this... what should I do?

[Just Enough]

Re: Can i just point out one thing?

But as far as The Register is concerned it is your real name.

What makes a name "real" anyway?

[lsces]

They insist on using real names but are quite happy to continue to force people to use place names which have been simply wrong for several years now and every attempt to get the UK's list fixed has failed miserably. ... Feel free to join us and add to http://www.jasonfriend.me/facebookplaces/w/editing:incorrectlyspelledcities:europe:uk#united_kingdom

[Pen-y-gors]

Not just FB

Trip Advisor also has screwed places database - correct postcode but they manage to put a place a couple of counties away.

[Stoneshop]

depend on Facebook

Why would you?

[David Nash]

Re: depend on Facebook

Beat me to it. While I agree with the sentiment of not being forced to provide a real name, no-one's forcing them to use Facebook.

"depend on Facebook" - gimme a break!

[Anonymous Coward]

Just say No

To Facebook and other sites like this.

All they want is to know everything about you and your life so that they can make money from it.

Feel free to give up your privacy to these US MegaCorps. They are not interested in you as a person. You are just a number. Come on in No 6 your time is up.

[PghMike]

I've never seen this

I've signed up for FB accounts with made up names by linking them with gmail.com accounts with the same name, and I've never had to provide FB my "real" name.

I can't be the first person who thought of using gmail.com emails with FB.

[dotdavid]

Re: I've never seen this

Basically they let you call yourself anything until they notice or someone reports you, and then they ask you to provide identification to prove you are who you say you are. So it's quite possible to slip through the net.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is easy to fix

Just let everyone use the same name: Mr Clueless Wanker. It's simultaneously accurate and anonymous.

[Bota]

Unrelated but

LGBTQ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer

Aren't lesbians or queers gay? To be accurate shouldn't it just be:

G/B/T?

Or we can make some up for the hell of it?

I'm now post-gender:

LGBTQPG

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Unrelated but

The Q used to be Questioning.

I remember when the acronym was GLBT, before a bunch of political lesbians pushed to the front and began coopting everything in the name of feminism and intersectionality.

[Mark 85]

Real Names?

So all the <ahem> celebs in Hollywood who have a made up name will have to change their FB account now? Or various musicians who use a stage name? They can either apply it across the board with no exceptions or forget about the rule. Where is Marion Morrison when we need him (yeah.. I know, he's dead but I'm making a point)?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Real" names

I know of several people who don't have one 'Real' name; they were given one name by their (non-english) family and use a totally different name for business or work to make the pronunciation easier for English speakers. It even happens in families

My uncle Ruairi is also Rory or (if I remember correctly) Roger - depending on context.

My father in law 'Reuben' was known by the family as 'Val' (his second name was Valentine and he hated his first name) and old WWII buddies and work colleagues knew him as 'Joe' (a nickname he picked up).

Which then is the 'Real' name?

[Paul Cooper]

Re: "Real" names

Yes, it's commonplace among Chinese people, who routinely take a "Western" name in addition to their Chinese name. The only name on their birth certificate is their Chinese name.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the term "first world problem" was invented for this article.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think we need to

organize a "Week Without Facebook" event to show them who really has the power.

I wonder what percentage of people it would take to cut into their advertising revenue stream to be painful...

[Mark 85]

Re: I think we need to

It would be a hell of a week since many wouldn't get their cat pictures, memes, fake news stories that they believe are real, and .. oh yeah.... pictures of people getting drunk and pictures of their half-eaten dinner. Nice idea though. Companies would love the extra productivity from their staff.

[Squander Two]

Re: I think we need to

> Companies would love the extra productivity from their staff.

Can't believe you would be so crass as to bring that up on the El Reg Forums.

[Crazy Operations Guy]

Real name to register, whatever name for display

Why couldn't they just require your legal name for sign-up but then allow you to display whatever name you want? If someone is harassing another user, they'd report it to Facebook's staff who would then contact the proper law enforcement agency, or hand that data over to the harassed person so they may take appropriate action themselves.

I imagine that requiring real names to be displayed actually causes more harassment, since it'd be trivial to look that person up and find them in real-life or on other online services to continue the harassment. But of course Facebook doesn't care, its no longer happening on their service...

[TeeCee]

Easy one.

...all who use and depend on Facebook....

1) Facebook is not a public service, or a right, or a necessity.

2) If you don't like their rules, fuck off and use something else.

By heck there's some dumb people out there.

[Squander Two]

Re: Easy one.

Two things. Firstly, what is so wrong with a company's customers exerting pressure on that company to change their policies? This is one of many ways for a company to assess what services there is demand for. When customers do this, they're basically giving the company free market research results. It's valuable data, that well run companies welcome.

There are pub landlords out there who tell all their customers "If you don't like it, fuck off," and there are others who get in that new beer everyone's asking for and install a pool table because a couple of dozen of their customers keep asking for one. Guess which kind of pub does better.

Secondly, Facebook's users aren't their customers; they're the raw material out of which they build their product. Facebook want as much near-enough-free raw material as possible. Their business plan is entirely based on enticing users with a service that everyone on the planet will want. So "If you don't like it, fuck off" is about the most moronic policy they could possibly adopt.