Facebook's 'Real Names Only' Policy Drawing More Online Protests
By social media editor Melony Roy
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (CBS) -- Drag queens were first. Now, Native Americans have joined the chorus of complaints about Facebook's "real names" policy enforcement.
Dana Lone Hill, a Native American from Minnesota, finally got her Facebook account reinstated after being asked to provide multiple forms of identification. She is one of many Native Americans who say their accounts were suspended for violating Facebook's real-names-only policy.
The names are being flagged because they combine several ambiguous nouns, such as Lone Hill or Creepingbear, although she points out that Katy Perry's "Left Shark" has its own Facebook page following that notable Super Bowl halftime show performance.
A similar controversy over real names unfolded last summer when Facebook prevented some members of the LGBT community from using their chosen names instead of their given names on its site.
A New Jersey woman has started a petition on Change.org demanding that Facebook change its policy, which she thinks discriminates against Native Americans. So far it has more than 15,000 signatures.