Authentic identity representation

Policy Details
User Experiences

Policy details

CHANGE LOG
Policy rationale
Authenticity is the cornerstone of our community. We believe that authenticity helps create a community where people are accountable to each other, and to Meta, in meaningful ways. We want to allow for the many ways that identity is expressed across our global community, while preventing impersonation and identity misrepresentation. To maintain a safe and open environment where people can trust one another and build community, we do not allow for the creation of accounts or profiles that are created or used to deceive others.
On Facebook, we require people to create one account using the name they go by in everyday life that represents their authentic identity. We created additional profiles to help people express different parts of their identity, such as their interests or businesses.
We do not allow the use of our services and will restrict or disable Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts or other Facebook entities (such as Pages or groups) that:
  • Belong to underage children
  • Impersonate another person or entity by:
    • Using their image(s), name or likeness with the aim of deceiving others
    • Speaking in the voice of another person or entity for whom the user is not authorised to do so (e.g. by creating a Page or profile)
  • Engage in identity misrepresentation to mislead or deceive others, evade enforcement or violate our Community Standards. We consider a number of factors when assessing misleading identity misrepresentation, such as:
    • Repeated or significant changes to identity details, such as name or age
    • Misleading profile information, such as bio details and profile location
    • Using stock imagery
  • Use a name containing violations of our Community Standards.
On Facebook, we will seek further information before taking actions ranging from temporarily restricting to permanently disabling profiles or accounts if you:
  • Provide a false date of birth
  • Use a name that is not the authentic name that you go by in everyday life
  • Create a single account that represents or is used by more than one person
  • Create or maintain multiple Facebook accounts
  • Create an account that represents a non-human entity, such as a business, pet or fictional character
  • Maintain empty profiles with prolonged dormancy
User experiences
See some examples of what enforcement looks like for people on Facebook, such as: what it looks like to report something that you don't think should be on Facebook, to be told that you've violated our Community Standards and to see a warning screen over certain content.
Note: We're always improving, so what you see here may be slightly outdated compared to what we currently use.
USER EXPERIENCE
Reporting
USER EXPERIENCE
Post-report communication
USER EXPERIENCE
Takedown experience
USER EXPERIENCE
Warning screens
Enforcement
We have the same policies around the world, for everyone on Facebook.
Review teams
Our global team of over 15,000 reviewers work every day to keep people on Facebook safe.
Stakeholder engagement
Outside experts, academics, NGOs and policymakers help inform the Facebook Community Standards.
Get help with authentic identity representation
Learn what you can do if you see something on Facebook that goes against our Community Standards.
Visit our Help Centre