Facebook loses war on pseudonyms in Germany – publico

                 

                         
                     

                 

 
                         

The Facebook was banned to prevent their users in Germany using false names as identification when they create their profiles on the social network. The decision was announced by the data protection authority in Hamburg, which found that Facebook can not change the names chosen by users or ask you to move forward with her true identity.

                     

                          The decision is known after the social network have blocked an account created by a woman who used a pseudonym to identify and changed the name in the profile to his real name, says the BBC.

The woman in question, who used a false name to avoid unwanted contacts related to your business, filed a complaint against Facebook and a German court ruled against social network, arguing that the measure taken by the social network violated laws Europe on this issue.

The company has challenged the ruling, considering that the “use of authentic names on Facebook protects the privacy and security of persons, ensuring that users know with whom they do shares or linked “.

This is not the first time that Facebook gets caught up in controversy for not allowing the use of false names to create accounts. In September last year, the social network has suspended “several hundreds” of profiles drag queens , who identified themselves through artistic names, triggering vehement protests of these and other users.

At issue was the use by these users to stage names rather than real names, as required by Facebook in its rules: “The name utilizares should be your real name as it appears on your credit card in your letter driving or your student card. “

A few days later, the company was forced to back down on its policy of” real name “. “I want to apologize to the affected community of drag queens , drag kings , transgender, and extensive community of our friends, neighbors and members of the LGBT community, the difficulties we have created you over the past weeks to deal with your Facebook accounts, “he wrote at the time the product manager of the company, Chris Cox, a post on Facebook. The official assured that the company would deal with complaints by use of false names “of less abrupt and more thoughtful way.”