The order was handed down on Tuesday. According to the Hamburg data protection authority, the name policy Facebook has in place violates German privacy laws. The data protection authority also said that Facebook cannot force people to submit photo identification or change their names without their permission.
Facebook’s policy allows the social networking site to suspend accounts that have been reported for using a name that is not listed on the official ID that the user has.
A woman in Germany used an alias and Facebook blocked her account. Eventually Facebook changed her alias to her legal name, all without her permission. The woman said she used a different name because she didn’t want to be reached with requests that were business-related.
Facebook said that German courts have reviewed their policy on many occasions and have deemed it in compliance with EU law. The company said that they are disappointed with this recent order.
A spokesperson for Facebook said that the use of authentic names on the site protects the privacy of people, as well as safety, as people know who they are connecting with and sharing things with.
Facebook has its European headquarters in Ireland, and the company said they should only have to abide by Irish law in Europe.
However, that argument has been rejected by the Hamburg data protection authority. The authority said that anyone who stands on their pitch is going to also play their game.
