Katie Kicked Off Facebook!

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 13, 2011 10:28 AM BST

    I tried to post a status update yesterday evening and discovered that I was logged out of Facebook.  Upon attempting to log in I receved a message that said my account had been disabled.  The reason given was that I was a faker because I had not used my real name.  They didn't mention my birth certificate but they obviously meant that I had not used my official male name (ie the one on my birth certtificate).

    No warning was given and there was no way to appeal.  In fact, I could not find any way of contacting Facebook at all.

    I have done nothing wrong.  My only crime is being a TG person.  It took me years to build up all the contacts I had on Facebook and I used it every day to communicate with them as part of my work for this community and also for Frock Magazine.  Losing Facebook is akin to losing my hard drive and everything on it.  This is yet another serious blow for me and I'm not happy.

    However, it could just be the thin end of the wedge.  I would guess that the vast, vast majority of TG people who have Facebook accounts use their femme name rather than their male name.  What are the implications of this for them?  This action raises a lot of questions...

    Have Facebook set a precedent by kicking me out?

    Will we now see the bulk cleansing from Facebook of all trans people who refuse to use their male names?

    Does this mean that Facebook is transphobic?

    Have they just declared war on the worldwide trans community?

    Over to you...

    Hugs, Katie   x

     

     


    This post was edited by katieglover at July 13, 2011 10:30 AM BST
    • 871 posts
    July 13, 2011 4:34 PM BST

    Hi katie, I'm really sorry to hear this has happened. It seems that there are a number of websites that dont apreciate the difficulties that transgender people face regarding their identity.


     


    It has come to my attention that as the internet has become a part of the fabric of society that it should be law that websites should respect the liberty of human individuals profiles and regard them as valuable as a human life. The fact that facebook has disabled your account, doesnt it feel like they have killed off a part of you?


     


    I am sure there is someone in the ministry of justice and human rights or the european high court who would know how to approach this.


     


    Much Love


    Penny


    x

    • 871 posts
    July 13, 2011 4:58 PM BST

    Dear Priminister,


    Please spend a minute to read as i feel this is important.



    The internet has become a part of everyone's daily life. It has become a part of the fabric of society. Some people spend most of their lives on the internet.
    Every day I hear more and more people complain about websites deleting or disabling their profiles and identities. Many people feel that when this happens that a part of them has been killed off. If all of their online identities were deleted wouldnt it be like throwing them into a mass grave?
    I think websites should be made accountable to look after individuals human rights and their online identities. There should be some sort of appeal system in law to help protect individuals from this sort of behaviour by websites.
    Like high street shops if the website is open to the general public they should accept membership from everyone and respect their liberty.
    Maybe someone in the ministry of justice or the European high court would know how to deal with this appropriately.
    Many ThanksPenny

    • 871 posts
    July 13, 2011 4:59 PM BST

    I emailed the above message to the priminister

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 13, 2011 5:20 PM BST

    Blimey!

    • 1017 posts
    July 13, 2011 6:03 PM BST

    Hi Katie,


     


    I'm left wondering why FB is doing this to you. They have mega millions of members and no matter how rich they are, there is no way they could be looking into everyone of them, so something must have triggered their action.


     


    Assuming you haven't done something outrageously scandalous (and I haven't heard of anything) to draw attention to yourself, I can think of only three possible reasons.


     


    One might be that their algorythms got too many hits on you for things they object to. Maybe too many "friends", or that you are perceived as a spammer for promoting TGS and Frock on their site without buying adverts - suspect this is the most likely.


     


    Or, maybe they had a number of members "report" you as posting inappropriate content. This could be folks biased against TG people, or maybe another Trans person or group who are simply trying to cause you trouble. TGS is pretty free of flaming other TG sites, but that is hardly the norm in the general trans web.


     


    Trouble with companies like FB, Google, PayPal, et al. is they do not seem to feel the need to justify a decision once it has been made.


     


    Best, Mellie


     


    ps, Glad they didn't actually search out your Birth Certificate. That would have been straight out of Orwell.


     


    pps. Wonder if they will work their way down the list of TGS FB Amins to me - I have pages as both my drab/birth name and as Melody.

    • 1017 posts
    July 13, 2011 6:50 PM BST

    FYI:

     

    There is a Change.Org petition protesting facebook's treatment of Katie:

     

    http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-facebook-you-are-not-a-transgender-faker

     

     

    Cut and Paste the above link into your browser and

    Sign it!


    This post was edited by Melody Anders at July 13, 2011 6:53 PM BST
    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 14, 2011 9:51 AM BST

    If the reason I was kicked out was because I had too many friends or because they thought I was spamming or whatever, then I'm sure they'd have said so.  Instead they said it was because I did not use my real name so I guess that must be the reason.

    Of course, it's true that I didn't use my boy name but as a TG person I have been Katie for almost 12 years so it's not as if I had just invented an alias in order to do bad things.

    At ther least I think they have been very insentsitive and at worst this could be the beginning of the mass expulsion of TG people from Facebook, for the same reason as given to me.

    After all, when you have 750 million members, you're not going to miss a few loonies, are you!

    Hugs, Katie   x

     

     


    This post was edited by katieglover at July 14, 2011 9:52 AM BST
    • 1652 posts
    July 14, 2011 10:17 AM BST

    I can't believe the reason would be because you are TG. If they were to adopt a policy of deleting TG accounts there would be a public outcry and it would do them untold damage.


    Where in their rules does it say you must use your legal name? Some of my friends use silly, bonkers names, and change them regulary. Thousands of people use an alias on Facebook. I can't believe this is their policy either. And anyway how do they KNOW this is not your real name?


    It looks like someone has reported you, maybe an anti-TG individual or someone who wants to cause problems for some other reason.


    Shame on Facebook for acting on this at all, and at the very least for not giving you a fair trial.


    Katie is innocent!


    xx

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 14, 2011 1:19 PM BST

    If I had been reported for doing something bad then surely they would have said, "We're chucking you out because you did so and so".  However, they have said it's because of my name.


    In any case, I have been as good as gold on Facebook and have not done anything bad at all.  I spent all night last night lying awake trying to think about what I might have done that could get me into such trouble.  I didn't get a wink of sleep but I couldn't think of anything obvious that could get me kicked out.


    Was it because I posted a message the other day saying that the July issue of Frock is now available?  If it had been that then surely they'd have said I was being removed for doing unauthorised advertising or the like.  But they didn't.  They said it's because of my name.


    I'm very, very upset by this.  Good thing I've got my own social network!


    Hugs, Katie   x


     

    • 1017 posts
    July 14, 2011 4:59 PM BST

    I took a look at the Terms of Service for FB and they include:


     


    4.Registration and Account Security

    Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account:



    1. You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.

    2. You will not create more than one personal profile.

    3. If we disable your account, you will not create another one without our permission.

    4. You will not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain (such as selling your status update to an advertiser).

    5. You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.

    6. You will not use Facebook if you are a convicted sex offender.

    7. You will keep your contact information accurate and up-to-date.

    8. You will not share your password, (or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.

    9. You will not transfer your account (including any page or application you administer) to anyone without first getting our written permission.

    10. If you select a username for your account we reserve the right to remove or reclaim it if we believe appropriate (such as when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user's actual name).


    I've added the bold italics


     


    FB has the right to remove you if you use a "fake" name, but I still think it was a convient way to legally get rid of you, not the real reason.


     


    There used to be a "too much chrome" law in a town where I lived. If you had a 1959 Cadillac Elderado Berlitz, which was nearly 3 tons of rolling chrome, you'd never get a ticket. But if you drove a 30 year old Chevrolet with chromed tail light bezels, the police had an excuse to harass you. Given the number of "fake" names on FB, I think something like this is what happened to you. They determined to boot you for other reasons and this rule allowed them to do it without having to explain or justify their real reason, whatever it actually was.


     

  • July 14, 2011 7:18 PM BST
    Katie,

    It might be for the best anyway; you might have just saved yourself a trip to "virus land".

    Facebook is one place I will Never go, just don't think your information is safe and here is a beautiful example with what happened to you.

    Sorry to hear it happened to you. Facebook is no good!!!!
  • July 14, 2011 7:23 PM BST
    Another quick thought, Katie, make sure your information on any banking legal and private information has not been compromised. Facebook has that "nasty reputation" too.

    PROTECT YOURSELF!
    • 2068 posts
    July 14, 2011 11:40 PM BST

    To Be honest, its a p*ss poor reason by Facebook to do that to you katie. I suspect there is something more to this than FB are letting on.


     


     


    Anna-Marie xx

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 15, 2011 10:54 AM BST

    Like I said, I've been as good as gold on Facebook.


    Apparently there is a petition running now at...


    http://www.change.org/peti​tions/tell-facebook-you-ar​e-not-a-transgender-faker


    That was set up by Kelli Anne Busey.  Thanks Kelli Anne.


    This story is not really about me and my silly FB account anymore though.  It's now about the wider implications of this FB rule that account holders must use their real name. 


    For the majority of TG people that would be impossible.  If you identify as Alison, you don't want to have to use your Dave name on FB.


    Facebook just doesn't seem to have any grasp of the needs of TG people.


    Of course, that might be the plan.  They could use this rule to remove all "fakers" accounts and that would include all TG people using their femme names (ie nearly all of them).


    I suspect they are watching how the community reacts to my expulsion.  If there is a backlash they will probably think again about their TG members.  If they get away with this though, and nobody does a thing about it, then the path will be clear for them to do as they please.


    Hugs, Katie   x


     


     

    • 95 posts
    July 15, 2011 3:19 PM BST

    Change.org is experiencing intermittent downtime due to a cyber-attack originating in China, which the State Department has condemned. The attack appears in response to a Change.org petition signed by more than 140,000 people worldwide, who stood against the detention of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Thanks to your support, Ai Weiwei was freed on June 22nd. We will continue to defend free speech and the freedom to organize for people everywhere.

     

     

     

    I went to sign in your defense Katie and this is what i got on the page. They better be glad too. I was gonna give it to them!! Sigh.. big corporations tend to eat up the average person. Still this is a bad precedent to hear about. Many non tg people change names too.. but for us it cuts down to the core of who/what we are. I'm guessing a hater reported you. Why they would take action baffles me though. Sounds like my experience on a phone chatline called Live Links I tried to use. I openly said i was a transgender woman on the female side and got booted and told i was using the wrong side of the system. They have 2 categories male/female. Blatent discrimination still abounds. grrrrrrrYell . I'll sign it if I can find it later. Sorry that happened to you. 

    • 1017 posts
    July 15, 2011 4:09 PM BST

    Jessica, copy and paste the following into your browser:


    http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-facebook-you-are-not-a-transgender-faker


    Don't click on it, that doesn't work.


     


    Katie, No one here has any doubt that you did nothing wrong.

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 15, 2011 6:03 PM BST

    Thanks for your support girls.  As usual there is a bug in the software which appends some HTML code onto the end of each URL you post.  So until I can get it fixed, the way to do it is to copy and paste the URL from here, rather than clicking on it.  Sorry about that.


     


    Hugs, Katie   x

    • 126 posts
    July 16, 2011 9:30 AM BST

    At work we have just been notified that we have a stack of revised policies and procedures.

    Stick with me, this is going somewhere. Tongue out

    A list of all the new policies was put in the communication book and the revised mobile phone policy was the only one highlighted. Basically we are not allowed to use mobile phones at work, and if we have them, they’re not allowed to be camera phones. Now my manager has always told me that as I am supporting adults with challenging behaviour, I need to have my phone on me, and switched on, when I am supporting our individuals out to the community, so I was a little confused. I was especially confused as our employer has just sent the manager a blackberry phone with, you guessed it, a built in camera! And an internet connection!! When I pointed out the inconsistency and lunacy of the policy I was told this;

    No one is actually going to come round and inspect your phone, the policy is only there to use against you if you take a picture and do something inappropriate with it, like posting it on the internet.

    On that basis I would suspect that Facebook have used the “Not having used your real name” condition as a simple and convenient way of deleting your account because someone has reported you for something, which might actually be completely unrelated to using your real name.  (If I was a conspiracy theorist then I might even ponder a possible connection to the Google ads fiasco!)

    Lets hope they dont delete the petition because we haven't used our real names Sealed

     


    This post was edited by Mandy Watts at July 16, 2011 9:40 AM BST
    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 16, 2011 11:11 AM BST

    I don't understand why they would not say what the real problem was and use a jumped up breach of their terms as an excuse.

    I'm also not sure what I could have been reported for because I've been good on FB as far as I can remember.  What could have got me into such trouble and why have they been so heavy handed with me?

    In any case this is not just about me anymore.  It's about the wider implications for all trans people who use their TG names on their FB accounts.

    I've attached a screenshot of the reasoning given to me for my account closure.  As you can see, any trans person who prefers to be called Alice, rather than Dave, has got a problem...

    Hugs, Katie   x


    This post was edited by katieglover at July 16, 2011 11:12 AM BST
    • 126 posts
    July 16, 2011 1:37 PM BST

    You also seem to have a fan page Katie, which is still active, and FB do have a policy relating to multiple accounts too.


     


    Any one of the many other Katie Glovers listed on FB may have taken offense to you?


     


    This is no excuse, I'm not here to defend FB, but what I am trying to say is that they have policies, terms and conditions to make things easy for them. In this case its looking like they're taking an easy option rather than having to use possibly scant resources to investigate something far more difficult, that most likely would have caused them headaches in deleting someones account for a more suspect reason, like being Trans.


     


    Maybe we should all quit FB in protest and look for other networking sites?


    Any one have a page elsewhere?

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 18, 2011 7:41 PM BST

    What about here Mandy?  Why go elsewhere!  This is where all trans girls should be!

    Let's get all TG people on Facebook to come to our site here where they will be appreciated and not treated like criminals.

    Hugs, Katie   x

     

     

     

     


    This post was edited by katieglover at July 18, 2011 7:43 PM BST
    • 1017 posts
    July 18, 2011 7:45 PM BST

    In the last day or so, I've invited two fb contacts to join here. One already has and the other has promised to join.


    Not huge, but every little bit helps...

    • 181 posts
    July 23, 2011 4:27 PM BST

    Katie , I have a polocy . NO FACELESS BOOK

     

                                      NO MY SELFLESS SPACE

     

                                      NO KRAK LIST

     

                                      NO EVIL BAY

     

     

    By the way, I too own a chat forum / message forum - ALL FREE an open to anyone here . P- M for a link

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Ellen


    This post was edited by Ellen Shaver at July 23, 2011 4:30 PM BST
    • 252 posts
    July 26, 2011 4:40 PM BST

    Look who the big honcho is at FB. Did you see "The Social Network?" The guy is a total douchebag. I'm sorry this has happened, Katie. BTW, I think saying that you used a "fake name" is an incorrect assumption. Now, if you had signed up to FB as Bonnie, or Agatha, or Simone, yes...you would be guilty of signing up with a "fake name."


     


    But you didn't. Part of your core IDENTITY is female. Part of "you" is actually Katie. Therefore, in every way possible you ARE Katie, as well as whatever "boyname" you might have.


     


    I think this is a fight we must eventually participate in and one we must win. We need to file a lawsuit about this. Maybe I'll send something out to Lambda Legal and see what they think.


     


    Everyone's online life is becoming more and more full, it encompasses more than a single identity for us.


     


    We should have the protection that we need to be happy, even if that means cross dressing.


     


    We need to push back. I'm going to push back.


     


    Joke em if they can't take a ****.

    • 1 posts
    July 28, 2011 12:03 AM BST

    hi katie

     

    if you have used your name other then the one on your birth certificate in official means mail, contracts, and other school and government paper work it becomes a legal name you can use. yes some things will require you to use your birth name but mostly for frod prevention. 

     

     

     

    however i em not a law expert, but this is how i understand it.


    This post was edited by jess get at July 28, 2011 12:04 AM BST
    • 3 posts
    July 28, 2011 7:38 AM BST

    If they are going to start enforcing the multiple profiles, only use the name on your birth certificate rules then they have to do that across the board. I know of non transgendered people that have multiple accounts, one for their normal everyday life and one for a stage persona.

    • 2573 posts
    July 28, 2011 3:41 PM BST

    This article makes it clear that GOOGLE has been doing this a lot lately, especially to businesses doing business "under the name".   William Shatner was kicked off for a while.  I think this article may hold a possible answer for Katie. 

     

     

     

    http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/25/7161229-google-screwed-up-when-it-cancelled-your-account


    This post was edited by wendy larsen at July 28, 2011 3:55 PM BST
  • July 31, 2011 10:19 PM BST

    Katie, I'm inclined to think someone must have drawn the attention of FB to you. They have so many members. How do they know when someone's used a different name from their birth certificate name, unless someone else tells them?


     


    I don't like what FB have done, and (sadly) I can't see how they can be made to change their mind, so I think I'll just delete my FB account. If you want acceptance and understanding then TGS is the place to be.

    • Moderator
    • 2127 posts
    July 31, 2011 10:48 PM BST

    Yes, someone may have drawn their attention to me, but that's not a good enough reason to close my account.  I honestly think they have taken one look and decided, "Tranny - Delete"!


     


    Hugs, Katie   x

    • 114 posts
    August 2, 2011 11:04 PM BST

    Thought you might be interested in this column.


     


    http://ebar.com/columns/column.php?sec=transmissions&article=169

    • 430 posts
    August 16, 2011 9:36 AM BST

    Hey Girls,


     


    you might find that it has to do with using two accounts from one computer and changing back and forth between them. 


     


    I personally have about 5 different accounts and all operate fine but I have to be careful about how quickly I change between them. If it appears to have the same details from one to the next with sutle changes its catches the details and locks you out.


     


    All about being a little savvy with it. My profiles are for totally fictious people who have never existed. 


     


    Good luck with things,


     


    F.

    • 10 posts
    October 14, 2011 3:39 PM BST

    I believe I know the event you are talking about. Or at least one similar to that. There was a case of a facebook TG group where the group owner was sending out a LOT of friend requests, to get everyone who joined the group on her friends list.
    Apparently one of the people reported her with the complaint that she was using a false name. That is why the account was dissabled. I find it rather suspicious that it only takes one report to lock a person out of their account. What if you have an acquaintance who decides, for their own personal malice, to falsy report you. Now you end up locked out of facebook and the mean person is grinning at the suffering you now face.


    I think facebook has too much power to personally change our lives whenever they feel like it. Unfortunately, it is their network. They write the rules and enforce the policies. I guess the only thing to do is stop using it...


    I for one have more than one account, my old facebook account, and my new female one. I've never had any trouble with the network, so I guess none of my contacts have been mean enough to report me, so I'm fine.
    Are you still locked out?


    :hugz:
    Aimée

  • October 17, 2011 9:07 PM BST

    I was locked out of my facebook  account last year...They  said I was not using my real name....I have a feeling that someone who wanted to be a b*tch did it to me. I am a GG and actually had to prove who was to get my account back...but as of a few weeks ago i deactivated my account...,way tooooooo much drama...and they are constantly changing stuff and it just is not worth the trouble especially for someone who used facebook for only entertainment purposes...It would be different if i used it like you did for business and networking...

    • 2 posts
    October 18, 2011 7:01 PM BST

    I've been on Facebook for 4 years as Vallin SFAS which is not my birth name (but I've been Vallin for 28 years, SFAS for 6; I'm going to celebrate my big five-oh by legally changing it). MOST of my trans-GF's aren't using their birth names. While I don't have any formal business links to Song For All Seasons, it is a group I manage there, and I'm getting links to my LinkedIn account which is also Vallin SFAS. 


     


    This is totally arbitrary and wrong!