Can I Create a Facebook Page Without Anyone Knowing Who I Am?
By James Wright
For many people, Facebook is about being accessible. It's a place where friends can find you, strangers can follow you and where you can create an online identity. If for any reason you want to use Facebook without disclosing your identity, however, it can be a challenge. Facebook's policies forbid you from using a fake name, but it does give you a plethora of privacy options that will help prevent people from finding you or viewing your profile.
Facebook Identification Guidelines
As Facebook is designed to be a place where people can find each other, its policy mandates the use of your legal name. This means that you can't make up a name or use someone else's. On a similar note, while you aren't required to use a picture of yourself, you cannot use photos of anyone else. This is both to ensure that you can be identified and so you don't impersonate someone.
Posting Personal Information
Apart from your name and email address, you aren't required to give Facebook any information. Friends or people who might know you can sometimes find you by your photo and email address or by looking through the pages you like, your hobbies and other profile information. All of this is completely optional; the less you provide, the fewer hints anyone will have of your identity.
Make Yourself Hard to Find
Facebook also has certain security options that make it hard for people to even find your profile in the first place. From your Privacy Settings page, you can ensure that your profile won't turn up in the results of searches by strangers, preventing people from finding you via email or phone, and preventing search engines from linking to your profile. You can also keep people from tagging you and even block people who cause you trouble. With these settings turned on, people can find your profile only if you post somewhere with it, giving you far more control over who can see you.
Repercussions for Fake Accounts
While Facebook policy requires you to use your real name, the company doesn't personally verify each profile. This means that there is nothing stopping you from signing up with a fake name. However, if Facebook's staff discover your profile or if it is reported, your account will be permanently disabled and will not be restored. If you have a main account, repeated offenses could see your main account disabled as well. So while it is technically possible to hide your identity using this method, it holds certain risks.
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Writer Bio
Based in California, James Wright has been writing since 1998. Wright's articles have been published on various websites with a focus on technical fields such as computers and the Internet, and were also featured in a now-retired publication for an online artistic community. Wright studied English, journalism, politics and psychology at Riverside Community College.