The world’s largest social network previously mandated that you use your “authentic” name on the service but it will no longer be holding users to that standard. Facebook has confirmed that it’s relaxing its real name policy thus enabling them to use monikers that “people know them by.” Facebook also points out that this change is going to make it harder for harassers to petition Facebook to disable user accounts.
In a post on its official blog Facebook writes: “We recognize that it’s also important that this policy works for everyone, especially for communities who are marginalized or face discrimination.”
Facebook mentions that it has made some tweaks to its system allowing them to be more forgiving with uncommon names, this will help the social network reduce the number of people who then have to verify their identity with Facebook. The social network also says that it’s now going to allow users to verify their identity using documents other than government IDs.
The company has maintained that it wants people to use their real names on Facebook because then their actions and words carry more weight and that it’s harder for bullies to “anonymously smear the reputation of others.” It reiterates its firm commitment to that policy but does mention that these changes are being made following discussions with safety organizations and community leaders across the globe.
The name reporting tool has been tweaked as well, people will now have to go through several steps to explain why they’re reporting a particular name, it says that this will help the team better understand why a particular name is being reported and aid in resolving that particular situation.
Filed in . Read more about Facebook. Source: newsroom.fb