Facebook kicks political blogger off
Jon Swift is a popular political blogger who has gotten kicked off Facebook for not using his real name. In his post he makes a good point: Bob Dylan couldn’t be on Facebook either. Well, at least Fake Steve Jobs can’t get on Facebook. Maybe not, there’s a ton of fake Bill Gates accounts that haven’t gotten deleted.
UPDATE: Facebook restored Jon’s account. Here’s the email he got from Facebook:
Hi Jon,
Upon further review, we have decided to reactivate your account. Our Terms of Use, to which all users agree when they first sign up for the site, stipulate that you must not “impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent yourself, your age or your affiliation with any person or entity.” However, since others on the site seem to know you by this name, and since you don’t appear to be using the name to impersonate or to hide your identity, we have determined that you are not violating these Terms. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns.
Thanks for your understanding,
Jerry
Customer Support Representative
Facebook
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November 1st, 2007 at 3:26 am
If thats the case then I guess companies should not be allowed to have profiles either. How can Facebook take such measures without confirming the persons identity? I have a fake Facebook account that I use for testing, it has friends and looks legitimate. How would they ever know its fake?
November 1st, 2007 at 3:37 am
Tyler, I don’t know, but there’s more on this here: http://scobleizer.com/2007/10/15/satisfaction-13-reasons-your-facebook-account-will-be-disabled/
November 1st, 2007 at 3:50 am
“‘Jesus Christ’ turns up more than 500 [profiles].” - Wonder if the all empowering Facebook fake name filter left out names for fake Messiah’s?
@Tyler - Not too sure if you’ve realized, but Facbook has added the functionality for App Developers to create Test Accounts: http://developers.facebook.com/news.php?blog=1&story=35
November 1st, 2007 at 3:53 am
There’s a difference between using a pseudonym as a consistent persona on the web and simply creating a bogus account on a site. Pseudonyms have a long and rich history. Disallowing them doesn’t seem very smart.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:01 am
[...] Razzies if not a notable mention in Professor Bob Sutton’s directory of A**holes. Scoble is on the case. Techmeme has joined in. Check this email sent to Jon by ‘Aubrey.’ Hi, Fake accounts [...]
November 1st, 2007 at 4:19 am
Sometimes you have to see the intent. Misrepresenting politically may not be acceptable. I used “fake bill gates” URL to get publicity for my website. I did not get publicity and now I am stuck with the URL.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:41 am
This is just stupid of Facebook - if you search Facebook you will find 2 Karl Marx’s, 7 Julius Caesars, 6 Anne Onyomous’s etc etc.
November 1st, 2007 at 5:12 am
I also run a blog that has a more political slant and I don’t use my real name I use a nom de guerre or should that be a nom de blog.
Vanessa fox did a good post abbout how face book needs to grow up away for its wasp colledge boy roots.
Gasp some of us didnt go to Uni you know :-) and why cant a join my exemployers groups most employers dont let you keep an email on theer domain if you no longer work for them
And given the fiasco of insiders looking they ought to think about puting thier own house in order (a few P45’s are in order i think)
November 1st, 2007 at 8:38 am
Well hells bells… I guess I shouldn’t have been allowed to write Podcasting For Dummies then.
And what about Violet Blue? Soccergirl? It’s not like we’re trying to hide what you’ll find on our passports, it’s just that we’ve become associated with a different name? I fail to see the harm…
E.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:58 am
It would be interesting to understand what’s motivating Facebook to kick the personas out. I can only assume I was kicked off Facebook because someone complained. Probably the same thing happened w/ the Jon Swift account.
It’s a very short-sighted move by Facebook. It would be more interesting place with the people who have setup some level of community interest in what they do and use Facebook as the next level of building, connecting with, and nurturing that community.
I never reached Mr. Scoble’s numbers, but I really enjoyed connecting and interacting with the some 200+ folks on my friends list.
Facebook flipped the boring bit.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:09 am
I seem to think, though, that someone like Bob Dylan would have no problem using Bob Dylan on FB as long as he could prove he was the REAL Bob Dylan.
So does this mean everyone I know on FB that uses Joe instead of Joesph should be worried? Or what about my friend that goes by his middle name and not his first name? He’s on FB with the middle name because that’s how people know him. Or how about my friends in TV who use their “stage names” on FB?
-A
November 1st, 2007 at 9:25 am
hey, will I be next? I am on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/p/Comic_Strip_Blogger/711333125
If it must be so be it! Stupid Facebook :-(
November 1st, 2007 at 9:33 am
rockmanac: stage names are NOT allowed on Facebook. So Bob Dylan wouldn’t be allowed since that’s not his real birth name and was a name he made up for himself.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:47 am
rockmanac: I spoke too early. Facebook just decided that Jon Swift is fine, so Bob Dylan probably would be fine too.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:59 am
Great policy, failed response(obviously he’s not the only one who should have been ousted. Yet, when all’s said and done, good PR for both parties!
November 1st, 2007 at 11:03 am
So when you violate the terms of agreement that you agree to and they take the action that you are warned about it is blog-worthy to complain? What is going on these…. Maybe these violators were told by their parents to ignore the school rules and filters so they felt entitled to break another law
Jonathan
November 1st, 2007 at 11:20 am
aww does that mean that the “Roger Waters” that has me as a friend has to prove that he is the real Roger Waters or his account will be cancelled? This makes no sense, I know of at least 10 accounts that use fake names on Facebook… to go through all of them and ask them to prove their identities would take forever.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:40 am
I’ve got Pam Beasley (a character on The Office) on my friends list, and other Office characters are there as well, posting pics, giving updates, and interacting like real FB users. These aren’t even psuedonyms…they’re completely fictional. Wonder if NBC had to pay for the promotion or something?
November 1st, 2007 at 12:37 pm
[...] one I penned about Sage. According to Wired: UPDATE: Looks like support from A-list bloggers like Robert Scoble, Dennis Howlett, and Stan Shroeder have softened Facebook’s stance. Users creating a group [...]
November 1st, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I, too, was kicked off of Facebook for not using my ‘real’ name. Everyone knows me as Code Red - my boss, my parents, my friends…even my 94-year-old grandmother calls me Code Red. There are SO MANY fake names on Facebook…why the hell did they have to pick me to F with? Funny thing is, my real name contains the words Code Red, I should just change it legally and tell FB to F-off.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:08 pm
And to Jonathan, from comment 16…um, dude, it’s a Facebook POLICY, not a LAW. Big difference, friend.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Have fun with the following:
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=santa+claus&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=reindeer&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=jesus+christ&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=pablo+escobar&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=John+Wayne&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=Tooth+Fairy&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=easter+bunny&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=george+bush&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=monopoly&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=night+rider&n=-1&k=400000000010&init=r
Good times at ol’ Facebook. Hypocrisy has no limits.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:43 pm
@ Evo Terra: caught my name in your comment; I’d be happy to show you my passport anytime. it says Violet Blue (as does all my legal and true identification information). bizarrely, I just (reluctantly) signed onto Facebook because a friend insisted. ugh!
but yeah — do you think they’d make a high profile celeb like Beyonce use her birth name, or cancel her account? or, like, when Hollywood personalities check into hotels under different names for privacy reasons, would they get kicked out for not registering at the desk for their “real name”? I’d bet not.
November 1st, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Facebook kicks ANONYMOUS blogger off.
TOU violation. Open and shut.
But he’s “A-list” (that term makes me vomit in my mouth), so he has “powerful” buddies to fan the flames - a fact I’m sure he leveraged to the hilt.
No wonder blogging is dying.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:31 pm
[...] powerful ’sneezers’: Support is pouring in from the blogosphere from such heavy hitters Robert Scoble, Dennis Howlett, Stan Schroeder, and Rob Hyndman. Steve Rubel has Twittered me (which is legal in [...]
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:37 am
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November 4th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Facebook shows that its colors are those of true evil by partnering with Microsoft.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:10 am
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May 29th, 2008 at 1:11 am
[...] επεισόδιο του pixelcast κάναμε αναφορά σε μια περίπτωση διαγραφής μέλους του Facebook επειδή το πραγματικό του όνομα δεν ήταν αυτό που είχε [...]
June 27th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Same same… the say in Thailand! I don’t care!