In a another sign that when Big Brother takes over it will be because we voted him in, Facebook has taken it upon itself to decide what is a legitimate name that someone may use on their account.

In its most recent effort to enforce the use of “authentic names” on its site, Facebook blocked the accounts of Native Americans such as Dana Lone Hill, Parmelee Kills The Enemy and Shane Creepingbear. Creepingbear’s profile was removed, ironically enough, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, also known as Columbus Day.

“There’s been a long history of Native erasure and while Facebook might not be enacting it with that intention, it’s still a part of that long history of people erasing native names. It’s part of the violence against native people in general,” Creepingbear wrote, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Lone Hill said that Facebook wanted her to submit such documentation as credit cards and Social Security numbers, but her account was eventually reactivated after media reports about her fight. “Katy Perry’s Left Shark from her Superbowl halftime show has a facebook page and we have to prove who we are?” she wrote at Last Real Indians.

-Steve Straehley

To Learn More:

Facebook’s Name Policy Strikes Again, This Time at Native Americans (by Nadia Kayyali, Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Native Americans Say Facebook Is Accusing Them of Using Fake Names (by Aura Bogado, Colorlines)

Facebook Don’t Believe in Indian Names (by Dana Lone Hill, Last Real Indians)

Native Americans Get Facebook Pages Removed On Columbus Day For “Fake Names” (by John Vibes, True Activist)