Thanks to what seem to be a continuing lack of sensitivity to cultural, religious or personal preferences, Facebook continues on their quest to ban anyone who doesn’t use their “real” name. This comes despite instructions directly from Zuckerberg that the policy wasn’t for “legal names” but for the name that the person goes by on a day-to-day basis, and what their friends know them as. Unfortunately, while they said they would take these instructions seriously, Facebook has done absolutely nothing to make sure that its done and people are still getting banned left and right, or being forced to change their name into a “legal name.”
Most recently, this has affected people who have religious names, especially people of other cultures including Jews, who have found that while they use their Hebrew name day to day, their birth certificate often has a completely other name – or the complete opposite, that their parents gave them a Hebrew name, but they have spent their entire life using their English name.
This writer is a perfect example: my Hebrew name is Pesach, but I have used Pace for almost twenty years professionally. Even my Hebrew name isn’t my “legal” name, but I haven’t used my legal name professionally or personally since I was in high school. It’s my identity, and how everyone knows me professionally?
Take also Jenny Garcia whose name has been “GonZo Jenny” for 30 years. No one in her life knows her by any other name and frankly, when she was forced to change her name to Jenny Garcia, none of her friends could find her anymore on Facebook. She has considered changing it “legally” but doesn’t want to because of all the paperwork issues, and frankly has never been an issue until Facebook came along.
So why is Facebook doing this? They claim its to prevent “harassment,” but expert in the field know otherwise. Facebook is one large data company, selling your information to other people. If you don’t use your legal name, it’s harder for them to sell that information. Your legal name is what gives them access to your life, knowing what you bought, your credit card information, and you interests.
That’s it: they want to market you to people, and know all about your life. Your personal preferences, gender identity, religious choices aren’t things they think they can market right now. So if you want to change your name, change religion, change gender, they don’t really care about you. You’re no longer an easy product to market.
