Facebook’s new username policy strikes again. This time, the unfortunate victim is a Vietnamese man named ‘Phuc Dat Bich.’ It’s an unfortunate moniker to Western eyes, but it’s actually pronounced “Phoo Da Bic.”
Facebook’s new policy forbids users from registering under “fake” names. Facebook’s software automatically recognizes names that don’t seem to appear genuine. The ill-advised policy shift has already stirred some trouble, however, with Facebook users who have legitimately non-standard names.
Earlier this month, a woman was locked out of her Facebook account because of her first name: Isis.
To prove his name is genuine, Phuc Dat Bich uploaded his passport photo and demanded Facebook stop telling him his own birth name is inappropriate for the site.
“I find it highly irritating the fact that nobody seems to believe me when I say that my full legal name is how you see it,” he said. “I’ve been accused of using a false and misleading name of which I find very offensive.”
In his Facebook post, Phuc Dat Bich writes:
“Is it because I’m Asian? Is it? Having my [Facebook] shut down multiple times and forced to change my name to my ‘real’ name, so just to put it out there. My name.”
He signs off with sarcasm: “Yours sincerely, Phuc Dat Bich”.
Facebook is yet again attempting to fix what isn’t broken, much to the chagrin of Isis, Phuc Dat Bich, and others. Queerty called Facebook’s new policy “a frankly creepy overreach of authority”, adding “There are a million reasons why someone would choose to self-identify with a name other than the one that’s printed on their birth certificate. And really, it’s absolutely none of your business in the first place.”
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