Facebook tells you to use your real name primarily for community safety, accountability, and to help friends find you, ensuring you're connecting with authentic people and preventing fake accounts, but also allows for nicknames or variations as long as they're how you're known in everyday life, like "Bob" for "Robert". They want to maintain a trustworthy environment where users can identify who they're interacting with, though their strict enforcement has caused controversy, sometimes requiring document verification.
According to Facebook, the real-name policy stems from the position "that way, you always know who you're connecting with. This helps keep our community safe." Likewise per this policy, a "real name" is defined by "your real name as it would be listed on your credit card, driver's license or student ID".
Nicknames can be used as a first or middle name if they're a variation of your authentic name (example: Bob instead of Robert). You can also list another name on your account (example: maiden name, nickname, professional name). Profiles are for individual use only.
How to know if your account was hacked
Your verified profile name must match the legal name on your government-issued ID. If eligible, you may be able to use a different name that meets our naming standards (this feature isn't available to everyone).
You can post, comment or react anonymously, but you can't do other things anonymously like use Live Video, share content or send messages.
Meta Verified for creators is a paid subscription that provides tools to help you build more confidence with new audiences and protect your brand.
No, Facebook does not provide a feature that allows you to see who views your personal profile, timeline, or page.
What to do if your account was hacked. If your Facebook account was hacked, we recommend visiting www.facebook.com/hacked. If you can, use a device you've used to log into Facebook before. If you're helping someone else, make sure they try these steps on a device they've used to log into Facebook before.
Look for any suspicious activity in your email account, like emails in your sent folder that you don't remember sending, unexpected password reset emails, or changes to your account settings that you didn't make.
Red flags to watch for: People insisting on payment via Paypal, Chime, or Zelle. People who insist on some form of deposit or payment without being willing to meet with you in person or at least talk on the phone. Profiles with few friends and little or no recent posts of any kind.
Your name must follow our name policy. You can't change your name too frequently. You may need to confirm your name on Facebook if asked. Your name on Facebook should match the name that appears on an ID.
If you already have an account, you can request a one-word name (mononym) by completing the Changing Your Name contact form. If you're trying to register for a new account using a mononym, please complete the My Name Wasn't Accepted contact form. Both forms ask you to include both a first and a last name.
When you send us your ID, it will be stored securely. Your ID won't be visible on your profile, to friends or to other people on Facebook. To help ensure IDs used for identity confirmation are real, we use both manual review and automated systems.
If we see unusual activity on your account, we might lock it for security. You'll know that we locked your account if: You get an email from Facebook saying that we locked your account. You log into Facebook and see a message that your account has been locked.
Authenticity. Facebook users cannot use fake names on their accounts. Always use your real name. You can change your name after your account is created only if you legally change your name, such as when you get married.
In most cases, deleting your account right away is not recommended because Facebook's recovery process can often restore access within a few days {{1.877.
Immediately change all your passwords on any accounts you think might have been affected. If you use the same password across several accounts, make sure they're unique from now on. Regularly changing your passwords is also a good habit to get into.
Facebook doesn't let people track who views their profile.
No, Facebook doesn't tell people that you've seen their profile.
You can see your recent Facebook logins from your activity log. With two-factor authentication enabled, you can also review recent logins whenever someone tries to log into your account and doesn't provide a security code.
A lack of friends and family on Facebook is causing older users to leave. For older users, Facebook is losing relevance for a variety of reasons. Many in the 35–65 age group report that the platform no longer meets their needs, and some feel it has become more of a chore than a useful tool.
As your ad runs, it accrues costs. If your outstanding ad costs reach $25, we charge you $25. Once your payment goes through, your balance is cleared, your payment threshold may be raised to a new, higher amount.
If we suspect that someone has accessed your account without your permission or if we need to verify that you're the true account owner, we may ask you to confirm your identity by providing a video selfie or an ID.