Facebook is preparing to fine-tune its “real name” policy after facing opposition from Native Americans, drag performers and members of the trans community among others, who had taken aim at the social networking site’s rules on how users can identify themselves online.
Alex Schultz, Facebook’s vice president of growth, wrote in an open letter published on Friday that the website will begin testing and implementing new features in the coming months intended to address concerns raised by individuals upset with rules that have created hardships for users who don’t register with their “authentic names.”
Facebook has argued that requiring users to prove their identity has helped curb instances of online harassment and has long maintained rules requiring users with non-traditional names to prove their identity with official documentation.
In July, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “We know people are much less likely to try to act abusively towards other members of our community when they’re using their real names.”
Now, Mr. Schultz said in his letter, the website is committed now to striking a balance “that minimizes bullying but maximizes the potential for people to be their authentic selves on Facebook.”
“We are working on several improvements, with two goals in mind: First, we want to reduce the number of people who are asked to verify their name on Facebook, when they are already using the name people know them by. Second, we want to make it easier for people to confirm their name if necessary,” he wrote.
“We are deeply invested in making this better. I’ve seen first-hand how people — including LGBT people — can be bullied online by people using fake or impersonating accounts,” Mr. Schultz said. “We also understand the challenges for many transgender people when it comes to formally changing one’s name. That’s why we’re making changes now and in the future, and will continue to engage with you and all who are committed to looking after the most vulnerable people using our product.”
Facebook’s about face was announced less than a month after a coalition of international groups composed of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others, accused the social networking site of maintaining “a system that disregards the circumstances of users in countries with low levels of Internet penetration, exposes its users to danger, disrespects the identities of its users and curtails free speech.”
According to the organizations, Facebook’s policies up until now have infringed on transgender people “whose legal names don’t accord with their gender identify,” individuals who adopt pseudonyms “in order to protect themselves from physical violence” and others who have fallen short of Facebook’s “arbitrary standards of ’real names,’ ” including Native Americans.
In a letter dated Oct. 5, the groups urged Facebook to “provide equal treatment and protection for all who use and depend on Facebook as a central platform for online expression and communication.”
Mr. Schultz responded: “Historically, when people were prompted to confirm their Facebook profile name, there was no opportunity to give additional details or context on their unique situation. We now plan to test a new process that will let people provide more information about their circumstances. This should help our Community Operations team better understand the situation. It will also help us better understand the reasons why people can’t currently confirm their name, informing potential changes we make in the future.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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