de Facebook asking users to help eliminate pseudonyms

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Some Facebook members in Germany have been greeted with this pop-up asking them 'to help improve Facebook':

The question translates as follows: 'Please help us understand how members use Facebook. Your answer remains anonymous and isn't going to affect your friend's account. Is this the real name of your friend?'

The possible answers are 'Yes'/'No'/'I don't know this person'/'I don't want to answer.'

Some German bloggers are upset by this and comparing it to Stasi¹ methods.

Personally I have yet to encounter the pop-up. The method behind it is questionable imho though. What do you think? Discuss.

Image source: heise online News

¹Stasi = secret police in the former German Democratic Republic

[Freelancer1111]

"Please help us understand how members use Facebook" --- Too me it looks like that all they want is data ...

[Arceles]

Scam as usual with FB.

[Andrew Lyle Global Moderator]

So Facebook makes a change, possibly for the better (who knows), and people are outraged? Surprise, surprise.

[Kelxin]

They're trying to remove all of the users that aren't filling out their real info. Reasons like this is why I deleted my facebook account and will never have one again.

[Elliot B.]

I am happy Facebook is doing this.

People should be using their real names on there.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

So Facebook makes a change, possibly for the better (who knows), and people are outraged? Surprise, surprise.

There are users who use a pseudonym or slightly modified version of their name for privacy reasons. Asking other users to identify them with their real name reeks of Big Brother methods to me and deserves to be questioned.

[Arceles]

I am happy Facebook is doing this.

People should be using their real names on there.

No thanks.

[Elliot B.]

There are users who use a pseudonym or slightly modified version of their name for privacy reasons. Asking other users to identify them with their real name reeks of Big Brother methods to me and deserves to be questioned.

It's Facebook's rules. If you want to be on there, follow their rules.

People who want to be "hidden" shouldn't be on Facebook in the first place.

[Charisma Veteran]

The only thing I wish is that there was also a comment box, so I could use a new way to say "f*** off" every time I answered it with "I don't want to answer".

I can't wait for more people to get sick of this and leave FB. I would laugh myself sick at seeing them finally get what they deserve after all their shady privacy-invading methods.

[Kirkburn]

Could they not just be interested in understanding how many people are using pseudonyms. Which strikes me as perfectly reasonable, since you cannot get that data automatically.

There's no indication of any action to be taken here (in fact, it is expressly denied!).

Seriously, how does this imply elimination? And likening it to the Stasi? Lovely bit of pseudo-Godwin there.

[Shadrack]

I am happy Facebook is doing this.

People should be using their real names on there.

I have a few friends that don't use their real names and I don't blame them. If they don't want to be found by other people or have their name directly tagged on photos that is their business and non of mine.

[caschy]

Hi all,

my original post on this topic (as mentioned in your source link)

http://stadt-bremerhaven.de/stasibook-ist-dies-der-echte-name-deines-freundes/

[Lastwebpage]

A lot of people in Germany means that Facebook is very very bad, but on the other side they have a FB account with a pseudonym. strange...

Another strange point is that I play FB games, and because of this I have many friends from many different countries. What is the only country with many pseudonym friends? Yes, exactly...

And someone here knows the good old usenet? (Not the fileshareing part of it ;) ) Everyone used it with the real name, because it was a rite to do this. What happens after more and more people use a pseudonym in usenet? The quality of the posts decrease or increase? It's the same on Facebook, more pseudonyms, more bullsh**.

[Tha Bloo Monkee]

I'm ok with this if it'll help remove people with names like "John CRAZYAWESOME Doe" or "Stephanie l0vepowerpedals" or whatever stupid "nicknames" people use.

[Arceles]

I'm ok with this if it'll help remove people with names like "John CRAZYAWESOME Doe" or "Stephanie l0vepowerpedals" or whatever stupid "nicknames" people use.

Says the guy that has "Tha Bloo Monkee" nickname.

[Hum]

As weird as some people are out there, I don't much blame the unreal name users.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I use a pseudonym as I changed my name years back but just never made it official - it is just a regular name that I choose to use instead of my birth name. All my friends know me by it and my employers didn't have have a problem with it. I shouldn't have to change my name by deed poll just to be able to use a social networking site with my chosen name, especially not when this move is designed simply to protect advertising revenue by ensuring users are using their legal name.

If I have to change it officially then I will but I will resent Facebook if I have to do it.

[Tha Bloo Monkee]

Says the guy that has "Tha Bloo Monkee" nickname.

yeah cause Facebook and Neowin are the same thing.

[ylcard]

Well, I'm sort of on the fence about this, I don't use my official name (as written in my passport, ID, etc), I use my mother's last name, so you could say that it's not my "real" name.

But I just HATE it when people use totally made up ****.

[Noir Angel]

I know a lot of people that have very valid reasons for hiding their true identity on Facebook. If Facebook are asking for my help on this matter they can forget it, as long as people's pseudonyms aren't being used to troll or harass it doesn't harm anybody.

[HawkMan]

Some Facebook members in Germany have been greeted with this pop-up asking them 'to help improve Facebook':

The question translates as follows: 'Please help us understand how members use Facebook. Your answer remains anonymous and isn't going to affect your friend's account. Is this the real name of your friend?'

The possible answers are 'Yes'/'No'/'I don't know this person'/'I don't want to answer.'

Some German bloggers are upset by this and comparing it to Stasi¹ methods.

Personally I have yet to encounter the pop-up. The method behind it is questionable imho though. What do you think? Discuss.

Image source: heise online News

¹Stasi = secret police in the former German Democratic Republic

Apparently the youths in Germany today don't have a clue what stasi was....

[Arachno 1D]

Erm most forums I use have thousands of members enroling under differing and sometimes humerous [or not] nick names.Why should faceache be any different after all its just another media market place?

[HawkMan]

Erm most forums I use have thousands of members enroling under differing and sometimes humerous [or not] nick names.Why should faceache be any different after all its just another media market place?

Well for one, they don't really care. they just wan to know how many use it like this, possibly to consider adding an official pseudonym function. That's also why ti says it will NOT affect your friend in any way.

BUT however, facebook is not a simple webforum, and using a pseudonym kind of defeats the whole purpose of facebook to start with. It also defeats their purpose as a log in function to new site comment sections with real names to avoid childish spam and arguments from users.

[Arachno 1D]

BUT however, facebook is not a simple webforum

In what way its just a meeting place with a posh front end to post opinion the same as here, nothing more.If anything its more populated by buisness advertising than a forum ?

using a pseudonym kind of defeats the whole purpose of facebook to start with

Nope my friends will know my page and I have a second for buisnesses that just want me to like them just to view their content

It also defeats their purpose as a log in function to new site comment sections with real names to avoid childish spam and arguments from users.

Putting "real" names will never remove either spam or arguments, so theres no benefit except for Faceache marketting purposes