Facebook fights order on fake names

— Facebook will fight a German privacy watchdog’s demand to allow users to register with fake names, insisting last week that its current practice fully complies with the law.

The California-based social networking site has long required users to register with their real names - a policy that the dataprotection commissioner of Schleswig-Holstein state says is in breach of German law and European rules designed to protect free speech online.

The commissioner, Thilo Weichert, ordered Facebook last week to rescind its real name policy immediately.

“We believe the orders are without merit, a waste of German taxpayers’ money and we will fight it vigorously,” Facebook said in a statement. The company claims that its real-name policy is intended to protect users.

Weichert that Facebook had two weeks to respond. If it fails to comply with the order, his office can impose a penalty against the company, said Weichert.

The maximum fine would be only $66,000 - peanuts for a multinational company but a symbolic blow that could lead to a tougher stance from other German and European privacy regulators.

“We have the right to prevent this data-protection breach,” Weichert said. “Theoretically we can order the website blocked, but that would be disproportionate.”

Business, Pages 22 on 12/24/2012

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