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Facebook Wants You To Snitch On Friends Not Using Their Real Name

Posted by Soulskill on from the anonymous-cowards-welcome-here dept.

Qedward writes "Freedom to go under a pseudonym is, miraculously, one freedom to survive the security lock-down of the previous decade. Now Facebook wants to change this. James Firth shows Facebook is clamping down on pseudonyms, with an interesting screenshot of being asked whether a friend is using their real name."

14 of 304 comments (clear)

  1. Everyone should post as Anonymous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you have comments you should post them as Anonymous... because we can.

    1. Re:Everyone should post as Anonymous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Anonymous is good, no doubt, but I'd say that pseudonyms are often better because a pseudonym, even if they are personally unknown, helps set context. Comments on issues which are complex often can't realistically be partitioned to be exhaustive in themselves. For some people here, at least, I'm familiar with their basic worldview from their other posts, and their comment or argument can placed in that wider context for deeper consideration, at least implicitly.

      I want to keep both, and at least in terms of productive discussion of topics upon which all parties don't already agree, the 'net will be dead to me the day these are lost.

    2. Re:Everyone should post as Anonymous by firewrought · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I suggest it's sort of intellectually dishonest if you evaluate a posting in a certain way based on who posted it rather than what was posted. Ideas should be evaluated based on their content rather than their source.

      Learning to evaluate ideas directly, without being influenced by one's preconceptions about their source, is a skill that we should all learn and value.

      However, it is also valuable to evaluate sources and their presentation of ideas over time, because some sources are more accurate/insightful/relevant to particular knowledge domains than others. And that's important because we evaluate (or should be evaluating) many, many ideas continuously. Authority is not the ultimate source of truth, but it can be a shortcut to it.

      A source also has a reputation to defend, and this encourages (some of them) to be more careful about what they say. I suggest that this why you discount AC postings... no reputation is at stake.

      Unfortunately, some people are shockingly poor at source evaluation. They'll forward anonymously written emails that are thinly disguised political agit-prop, then turn sour when you send them a link to snopes ("that's not a reliable source").

      --
      -1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
  2. Someone please tell Facebook that by Presto+Vivace · · Score: 5, Insightful

    nobody ever won a war with their customers

    1. Re:Someone please tell Facebook that by Frac+O+Mac · · Score: 5, Informative

      Everyone seems to forget that we aren't the customers, we're the product. This is all about increasing the quality of their data for their real customers.

    2. Re:Someone please tell Facebook that by joelwhitehouse · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Everyone seems to forget that we aren't the customers, we're the product. This is all about increasing the quality of their data for their real customers.

      Exactly. Facebook has admitted that 80 million accounts are fake; now it needs to take steps to reassure customers that the eyeballs they've been selling are real.

    3. Re:Someone please tell Facebook that by dgatwood · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Incidentally, none of Facebook's accounts are fake. They all represent an online identity. Whether those identities maps 1:1 to physical users or not is irrelevant. There are still actual humans using the accounts, viewing ads, contributing to the usefulness of the platform, etc. There is no legitimate reason for Facebook to be concerned about these accounts that do not center around fundamental invasions of personal privacy, such as correlating user behavior outside of Facebook with what they do and say inside of Facebook.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    4. Re:Someone please tell Facebook that by Viceice · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You raise an interesting point about having a 'fake' name to show the world, and what is your real name.

      I'm Chinese, so on my bank accounts and official documents, I have the romanised version of my name in mandarin.

      In day to day life however, everyone calls me Nicholas. My co workers, clients, friends, etc. and that is also the name I use on facebook. About the only people who know my name in mandarin are my immediate family, and entities I need to enter into contracts with.

      To be sure, Nicholas is by no means fake or a pseudonym. My parents named me as such, and I have answered to that name all my life. Google me and you will turn up a lot of stuff i have put online over the years, pictures of parties, videos, random nonsense on forums etc. But searching official records for that name is going to turn up a lot of people who arn't me.

      So back to the topic at hand, maybe what facebook is concerned with are name that are pure fiction/fantasy, after all, my name would pass the 'fake' test in the article as i have built an identity around it, but it's not my official name.

      --
      Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
  3. Confession time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    My last name isn't Coward; it's actually Smith.

    Anonymous is my real given name though. Life has not been kind to me ever since 4chan took off.

  4. Please help us by mtrachtenberg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Please help us understand how people are using Facebook:

    Is this your friend's real name?

    Do you really like this friend?

    Has this friend ever sent you any revealing pictures?

    How much do you think this friend spends on entertainment? clothes? shoes? online services?

    Please estimate the odds that this so-called friend might be a terrorist?

    If you had to describe this friend to Facebook and the DHS, which of the following descriptions would you use: creative? avant-garde? obedient? disruptive?

    Facebook appreciates your answers and respects your privacy. Thank you.

    1. Re:Please help us by Mashiki · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What kind of idiots are on Facebook anyway?

      Well just remember those of us that are 'sane' and don't have an account, are apparently psychopaths now. So fuck'em. I'd rather be a psychopath, then I can get free room and board, along with happy-trip meds.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    2. Re:Please help us by Doctor_Jest · · Score: 5, Funny

      Exactly! How can you advertise the right kind of bomb making material coupons without knowing who is and who is not a terrorist? I suppose trolling the "jobs" section Facebook profiles would help, but this is more targeted (no pun intended).... so the money saving coupons from "Jihads are Us" and "72 Virgin Megastore" go to the proper terrorists.

      It's a win win!

      --
      It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
  5. Misleading blurb by barakn · · Score: 5, Funny

    Facebook is not "clamping down on pseudonyms" and /. should be ashamed for posting a story that suggests it is. The questions Facebook sends to users are used for statistical purposes and are not used to punish those using pseudonyms. Pure FUD.

    --
    "I'm so moist I'm sticking to the leather." -Kermit the Frog on The Late Late Show
  6. Re:Why stop at fake names? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Rule #1 for my kids: never ever use real information. There's a time and place for it, but not on Facebook or other 'social' and gaming website.