MAN NAMED PHUC DAT BICH BANNED FROM FACEBOOK

Phuc Dat Bich
Bich has resorted to posting an image of his passport on Facebook to prove his name.Phuc Dat Bich’s Facebook profile
A man called Phuc Dat Bich has posted a photo of his passport on Facebook after being banned from the site several times. The frustrated Vietnamese-Australian man hoped that his passport would prove the authenticity of his name and allow him to continue using the social networking platform.

The photo of the 23-year-old’s passport has been liked more than 127,000 times on Facebook, along with the man’s message. He notes that his account has been shut down “multiple times”, with the site prompting him to change his name to his “real name”.

“I find it highly irritating the fact that nobody seems to believe me when I say that my full legal name is how you see it,” Bich’s Facebook post read. “I’ve been accused of using a false name and misleading name of which I find very offensive. Is it because I’m Asian? Is It?”

The man’s passport clearly displays that his name is in fact Phuc Dat Bich, although many have pointed out that the correct pronunciation of the name is Phoo Da Bic. The name is not as unusual as many have imagined, with more than 50 people with the same name showing up in a Facebook search.

Facebook operates a feature to ensure that people only use their real names on the social networking platform in order to avoid fake profiles and hold people accountable for what they say online. A post by Facebook’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, earlier this month apologised to those who have been offended by Facebook’s name policy but defended the measures.

Cox said: “We believe this is the right policy for Facebook. It’s the primary mechanism we have to protect millions of people every day, all around the world, from real harm. The stories of mass impersonation, trolling, domestic abuse, and higher rates of bullying and intolerance are oftentimes the result of people hiding behind fake names, and it’s both terrifying and really sad.”

However, the Facebook official recognised that there was room for improvement and that the organisation would be taking measures to fix it.