"But Facebook’s policy is easily exploitable: Any user can potentially cause someone else’s account to be suspended, altered or permanently shut down simply by reporting their name as fake. As we’ve recently reported, Facebook has been questioning authentic Native American names since at least 2009. Since late February when news of its flawed names policy resurfaced on The Last Real Indians blog, we’ve learned that one white supremacist group has bragged about triggering the removal of a high-profile Native user. We’ve also talked to 42 Natives about their past and present experiences with Facebook." - Andrew C (✔)

"Facebook’s spokesperson insists that the company doesn’t proactively search through user handles to root out violators of the names policy. The problem with user-generated reporting is that is that anyone, even white separatists, can report legitimate accounts as fake." - Andrew C (✔)

"Dezbah Bahee is pretty proud of her name, which appears on her birth certificate and all her documents. In Diné Bizaad, or Navajo language, “Dezbah” means “warrior.” But, if you want to find Bahee on Facebook, you’re going to have to look for the nickname “Dezzie.” “I use my real name on all my social media profiles,” explains Bahee, who first signed up to Facebook about six years ago. “However, with Facebook, when I entered my name, the program notified me that I was not allowed to use ‘nicknames.’” […] Bahee is one of several women who told me they weren’t allowed to sign up to Facebook using their real first name, “Dezbah.” The troubling irony, of course, is that although Facebook discourages the use of some nicknames, these women had to use a nickname or an outright fake name in order to obtain an account." - Andrew C (✔)

" “Having to prove [my name] on the biggest social media website where there are tons of people using fake names made me feel like I wasn’t worthy enough to even be considered a person in their standards,” says White Eyes, who points to names such as “Pseu Donym,” a blatantly false handle that many individuals use on the site." - Andrew C (✔)