Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

eff.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 266 posts

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#81

Post by Spooky23 »

I hate Facebook, but I think they are right about this policy.

If you're a person at risk due to many of the issues described here, you don't belong on Facebook. If you're a domestic violence victim avoiding a dangerous person "liking" the wrong thing or somebody's innocent repost can put you in danger, pseudonym or not.

The transgender situation is similarly tragic, but it's an issue that trans people run into when presenting ID to buy beer as well. We should get states to provide some sort of transitional ID or something.

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#83

Post by TeMPOraL »

Swizec wrote: post #74
gurkendoktor wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who are trying to disconnect their Facebook identity from their real world identity are not using Facebook the way it's meant to be used and should probably just leave it. Some people use their pseudonym (usually a nick name) in real life as well, except for work, and I think separating work from Facebook is exactly how Facebook should be used. (There's always LinkedIn for work...) Another thing I see a lot…

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

> I don't know how they do it. But they do it. I'm assuming geo-tracking of phones and noticing that you spent X hours together the previous night.

My boss and I were wondering the same thing after spending few days at client's site in another country, after which Facebook suggested the client as a friend to my boss, even though they never interacted electronically by means other than company e-mail. We thought about geo-tracking, but then concluded that it's more likely Facebook must have identified both of them were connecting to the same Wi-Fi network at the same time.

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#84

Post by jeena »

morgante wrote: post #21

I wish the EFF and others who are against using real names would at least acknowledge the drawbacks of pseudonyms and the proliferation of fake accounts and fake names which comes with them. The real name policy has huge benefits. I'm not constantly bombarded by fake friend requests like I am on Twitter, Skype, or any other platform which allows random usernames. Even more importantly, I can easily find the people in…

> If I'm working on a project with someone, I can immediately find them and message

Interesting, that is exactly why I don't use my real name on Facebook. I don't wont everyone I work on some project with to be able to find me and message me outside of the established conversation channels from within the project. And even less am I interested them to be able to learn about my private life.

All my friends do find me with help of the friend of a friend feature on Facebook and the Picture I have there. Everyone else should never try to contact me there, I will block them anyway.

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#85

Post by OldSchoolJohnny »

Spooky23 wrote: post #81

I hate Facebook, but I think they are right about this policy. If you're a person at risk due to many of the issues described here, you don't belong on Facebook. If you're a domestic violence victim avoiding a dangerous person "liking" the wrong thing or somebody's innocent repost can put you in danger, pseudonym or not. The transgender situation is similarly tragic, but it's an issue that trans people run into when…

I'm stunned by the defenders of this policy I'm seeing here.

Not singling you out in particular this is for everyone who doesn't seem to get it due to youth, lack of experience, very privileged life, complete inability to empathise, I'm not sure what exactly in each case but it's ugly at times and Hacker News seems to be ground zero for a lot of this stuff.

I suspect like many things I see on here there is a huge lack of life experience informing opinions.

Luckily on HN you don't have to use your real name so these immature opinions won't come back to bite you as a well adjust adult with life experience.

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#86

Post by nsgi »

Swizec wrote: post #74
gurkendoktor wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who are trying to disconnect their Facebook identity from their real world identity are not using Facebook the way it's meant to be used and should probably just leave it. Some people use their pseudonym (usually a nick name) in real life as well, except for work, and I think separating work from Facebook is exactly how Facebook should be used. (There's always LinkedIn for work...) Another thing I see a lot…

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

Do you have her number in your phone?

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#87

Post by kuschku »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #83
Swizec wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

> I don't know how they do it. But they do it. I'm assuming geo-tracking of phones and noticing that you spent X hours together the previous night. My boss and I were wondering the same thing after spending few days at client's site in another country, after which Facebook suggested the client as a friend to my boss, even though they never interacted electronically by means other than company e-mail. We thought about…

This is insanely creepy...

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#88

Post by Swizec »

nsgi wrote: post #86
Swizec wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

Do you have her number in your phone?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But I don't remember giving FB permission to view my phone numbers.

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#89

Post by yaur »

Swizec wrote: post #74
gurkendoktor wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who are trying to disconnect their Facebook identity from their real world identity are not using Facebook the way it's meant to be used and should probably just leave it. Some people use their pseudonym (usually a nick name) in real life as well, except for work, and I think separating work from Facebook is exactly how Facebook should be used. (There's always LinkedIn for work...) Another thing I see a lot…

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

> I don't know how they do it. But they do it.

A big avenue for this is phone numbers. If you have exchanged phone numbers or texted and either person has the facebook app installed on their phone they may show up on "people you may know"

Re: Global coalition to Facebook: “Authentic names” are dangerous for your users

#90

Post by Swizec »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #83
Swizec wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tellingly, my female FB friends are much more likely to obfuscate their names (and get blocked for it). This is the part of Facebook that's really creepy. As a guy who used to date around a lot, I was surprised by how well the "find user" function works. You connect with someone on Tinder, and meet up in real life. You have no friends in common, no digital connection other than a week-old Tinder conversation consis…

> I don't know how they do it. But they do it. I'm assuming geo-tracking of phones and noticing that you spent X hours together the previous night. My boss and I were wondering the same thing after spending few days at client's site in another country, after which Facebook suggested the client as a friend to my boss, even though they never interacted electronically by means other than company e-mail. We thought about…

Somehow the Wi-Fi network theory sounds even creepier than geo-tracking.

Also in my example, I didn't usually connect to any Wi-Fi because I have LTE. But of course I don't turn off wi-fi when I leave the house so my phone still does network discovery.

Post reply on HN