Facebook Reportedly Blocked Account Of SF Woman Named Isis
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A San Francisco woman claims her Facebook account was temporarily blocked because of her first name: Isis.
"Facebook thinks I'm a terrorist," Isis Anchalee tweeted on Tuesday. "Apparently sending them a screenshot of my passport is not good enough for them to reopen my account."
Anchalee, who was at the heart of the viral #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign last August, said she had to send the social media company a screenshot of her passport three times before she was able to access her account.
Hours later, Facebook reportedly responded with an apology for the inconvenience
This isn't the first time Facebook has suspended accounts with suspicious or fake sounding names.
In February, Native Americans said Facebook locked them out of their accounts because they used fake names.
Dana Lone Hill explained that Facebook doubted the authenticity of her name, which originates from the Lakota Tribe. After Facebook sent her a message claiming her account was not her real name, she sent in multiple pieces of ID hoping to restore her 8-year-old account. A week later, Facebook sent her an email apology for suspending her account "by mistake."
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Then last year, Facebook apologized to drag queens and others who were locked out of their Facebook accounts because their real names did not match those on their online profile.
Facebook normally requires users to log in with their "authentic name," which doesn't necessarily mean legal names. The 10-year-rule is in place to help root out accounts created for malicious purposes, like harassment, fraud, impersonation and hate speech.
"We ask everyone to use the name they go by in real life so friends know who they are connecting with," Facebook says on its help page.
Drag queens told The Associated Press that requiring them and others to disclose their real names is unfair and could put jobs, relationships and health at risk.
Nicole Jones is a digital producer for CBS San Francisco. Follow her musings @nicjonestweets
