A special forces service member has been given an ultimatum by Facebook; change the pseudonym that protects him and his family from terrorist attacks or leave Facebook forever.
American Military News was recently contacted by the active duty service member that was given this ultimatum. He hopes to bring attention to the double standard Facebook applies to who is allowed to operate their profiles under a pseudonym or false name for security purposes. It appears Facebook allows celebrities, victims of spousal abuse and transgender individuals to operate under fake names but do not grant the same luxury to the men and women that protect our country.
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This special forces member, who has asked to remain unnamed due to security reasons, is currently active duty tasked with fighting terrorists abroad to secure our freedoms here at home on American soil. His role in the military has earned him many enemies. The terrorists he has dedicated his life to fighting would like nothing more than to make this solider and his family, and others, pay for fighting against their tyranny and twisted ideals.
Because of this, protecting his identity is of the utmost importance. The service member has been operating under a pseudonym to protect his identity for nearly two years. Suddenly, out of the blue, Facebook contacted the service member demanding he change his profile to his “real name.”
Given his predicament he selected an option that allows people to run profiles under pseudonyms due to extenuating circumstances. Facebook allows you to use a pseudonym for four reasons:
- You are a celebrity that operates under a stage name
- You are a transgender individual
- You are a victim of spousal abuse
- Other
The service member picked “other” and explained his situation. He operates under a pseudonym for his own safety and for national security. Unfortunately, Facebook still demanded he provide government documents with his real details.
Because his details are classified, for obvious security reasons this special forces member can’t send his paperwork and documents to a private company and who knows who would actually be reviewing it after it was received. There is also the threat of the identity being exposed.
It appears Facebook is willing to make exceptions for celebrities and victims of spousal abuse but not for our special forces service members. The solider provided American Military News with screenshots of his correspondence with Facebook which can be seen below:
It seems this explanation was not good enough for Facebook administrators who refused to accept his story and denied his request. The service member’s story received little feedback from Facebook, instead they simply requested government documents to identify this service member yet again. Further correspondence can be seen showing Facebook refusing to make an exception in the screenshots below:
The Special Forces member has told AmericanMilitaryNews.com that if he would rather abandon his profile and quit using Facebook in the name of national security before giving his information. This incident begs the question; why are celebrities given privileges that the people defending our country from terrorism are not?
The has not heard back from Facebook regarding the matter but will provide updates as the story progresses.
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