Facebook Revises ‘Real Name' Reporting to Stem Abuse

Facebook has taken some heat over the last year or so for its "real name" policy, under which your user name must be the name you're known as among family and friends. Mistakes in execution, groups inordinately affected and abuse of the system have prompted the company to make some changes in how the policy will be enforced, NBC News reported.

In a blog post, Facebook wrote that "We're firmly committed to this policy," but that "it's also important that this policy works for everyone, especially for communities who are marginalized or face discrimination." The company in October apologized to the LGBT community and drag queens in particular over numerous issues with the real name policy, and suggested that changes were on the way.

The first improvement they're making to this end is a more context-sensitive reporting mechanism. Users flagging an account will be asked to provide extra info — whether it's someone using a made-up name, or whether they're imitating someone else, for instance.

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