Thursday, June 11, 2015

Facebook Will Out You

I tried to log into my Facebook account and was informed:

Sorry, this page isn't available.

The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.

Then Facebook asked:

Please Change Your Name.

It looks like the name on your Facebook account may not be your authentic name. We ask everyone to use the name they go by in real life so friends know who they're connecting with.

What names are allowed on Facebook?

If this is the name you use in your everyday life, we would like to work with you to verify the name that best represents your identity. We accept a number of documents to allow you to verify your everyday name.

My Facebook account is "Stana Stana." It is the my "authentic name," that is, the name I use "so friends know who they're connecting with." However, it is not my "legal" name and as a result, I have no paperwork to prove to Facebook that Stana Stana is authentic.

Facebook will permit me to use Stana Stana as a nickname associated with an account under my legal name. However, that is not a viable option because (1) it will require me to set up a new account and lose everything (hundreds of Facebook friends, messages, photos, etc.) associated with my Stana Stana account and (2) my legal name will be displayed in my profile, thus outing me to the millions of Facebook users. (Yeah, I know I am pretty much as outed as one can be, but there are still a few people who don't know and I prefer it that way.)

Thus, I am banned from Facebook.

And so it goes.





New York City Tony Awards style, June 1015
New York City Tony Awards style, June 1015





Actors performing Much Ado About Nothing in the 2014 Illinois Shakespeare Festival
Actors performing Much Ado About Nothing in the 2014 Illinois Shakespeare Festival

8 comments:

  1. I know several friends on Facebook who are teachers who are known only by first names or initials--one who uses spelled out words of her initials as in "See Eye Dee"--whose real full names do not display on their profiles. See if Facebook will let you use your initials or first and middle name as your "real name"

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    1. Facebook will allow me to use anything I want as a nickname, but they want my legal info to do so, which would be accessible to everyone.

      Delete
  2. That is quite interesting, Stana. I've always felt Facebook just merely tracked posts so I don't have a FB account. Stealth and all that! Again, it's very interesting. Do let us know how your activity turns out.

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  3. As far as I'm aware, Facebook actually only pulls this stunt if someone "reports" your account as not using a real name. There is no automatic function to scan usernames and determine that they are not authentic.

    Someone did this to many drag performers a while ago, and it took a while for it to get sorted out, but they are allowed to use "authentic" stage names, because those are the names that they are known by. I'm sure that a quick google search would turn up information about this.

    My solution is that I've had a femme photo on my boy profile in Facebook and I'm gradually adding friends of my femme profile to my boy one. If ever I have an issue with my femme profile, I'll simply let it slide. I've never posted my boy name on my blog, though. Don't want it to be too easy for people to find me. ;-)

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    1. One very good thing about this episode... I am rid of the guys on Facebook hitting on me!

      Delete
  4. There is now a FB page with your name Stana Stana, and it belongs to someone who lives in Podgorica, Montenegro... this is totally ridiculous!

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    Replies
    1. Last time I checked, there were three Facebook users using Stana Stana including myself.

      Delete
  5. Hi, The ladies and I would like to know when you are going to answer the femulating questions we sent you recently. We plan on going to a local event where we will be totally en femme for the first time and one of the things we are waiting on is your advise because we have followed your blog for years and we love you and all the advise and help that you have given us. YOU GO GURL!!! On behalf of the gurls, Ms. Stacey Anne.



    ReplyDelete