Got a short surname? Facebook may ask you to prove you are real

Several Dutch users of the social network site Facebook have been blocked from using their accounts because their surnames are too short, newspaper Metro reports on Monday.


The paper says users have been banned as part of Facebook’s efforts to stop people using fake names online. The company has asked people to send a copy of their passport to the US so their identity can be checked.
For example, Sem and Pieter Eg have both been stopped from using their accounts, pending ID verification. Sem has sent a copy of his passport to Facebook headquarters while brother Pieter has given himself a new, fake surname to get back on line.
Privacy
Kaat E, who has used a short form of her surname on Facebook for three years, has also been told to prove she is who she says she is. Kaat too has adopted a fake surname to get around the rules.
Facebook spokesman Damaris Beems told the paper the checks, which are carried out automatically, are for security reasons.
Privacy experts told the paper users should be very wary about sending copies of their passports to Google in the US because of the different privacy standards. ‘It is unsafe to do so,’ internet law expert Axel Arnbak told the paper.
Do you use your real name online? Have your say in the comment box below.

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