The reason? A fake name. The blogger/commentator is knows as Michael Anti. While it’s not the name on his national identity card, Michael has used it for years. He refers to it as his “professional name.” Anti sent Facebook a certificate from Harvard to prove that he’s used the name Michael Anti for years and it serves as a professional name for him (Anti completed a fellowship at Harvard). Facebook says it’s critical its users use their real names – that’s allows for more accountability. Anti says – really? Why does CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s dog get a Facebook page? Because there’s not way the dog is providing those status updates. Meanwhile, there are some questions as to whether Facebook’s interest in breaking into the Chinese market is partly motivating this. All this as Reuters reports the Chinese government is looking to the internet as the next frontier of how to shape public opinion and control the country’s bloggers.
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