I realize 7:30am CET is awfully early to be punching out a post, and trust me I'd much rather be sleeping. However, here I am filling my time until the grocery store opens. Why do I want to get to the store first thing on a Sunday? To purchase last minute provisions for attending our very first professional cycling race today! The Liege-Bastogne-Liege race is taking place on this fine Sunday (the last race in the Ardennes Classics week) so me and the Mr. are heading up to Bastogne to watch the guys flash by through the turnaround town. This is our warm-up for cycling spectating season (as we are new to the activity) and I'm quite excited about it. We had a nice little group scheduled to join us, but much to my despair the majority of them have come down with varying illnesses. So, it'll just be the two of us sitting in the rain this morning waiting patiently for those fleeting few seconds of spinning wheels and lycra.
Unfortunately, I can't cite my excitement for rousing me early from my iComfort mattress (don't let the name fool you, it's like sleeping on a rock). I was awakened at first by that familiar and dreaded symptom of impending sickness, the sore throat. Honestly, we're dropping like flies here in Luxembourg. As that uncomfortable sensation pulled me from sleep, I was reminded of a troubling situation that has developed in the last 12 hours. With that swimming in my mind, I trudged up to the office and have spent the last hour or so trying to rectify the problem. What vexes me?
I have been suspended from Facebook.
I know. The horror.
I discovered this frustration on the train last night. We were coming back home from an evening on the town and since the group had fallen into the silence that only comes from the onset of illness, I decided to see what was going on the world.
I was notified that my account had been temporarily suspended because "our security systems thought you may not be using your real identity or that you may have multiple accounts." They then insisted that I send proof of identification with any unnecessary personal information blocked out. They will then review my case and reactivate me or permanently suspend me.
Obviously, I find the whole thing very disturbing. Facebook is the only social media source that I use for personal relationships. While the rest of my networking is kept more anonymous (I've had a lot of weirdos in my life and would like to keep as many at distance as possible), I use Facebook to interact with friends and family, meaning I use my real name and so forth. My "friends" list is quite small and my updates are quite benign. Most are just photos. I don't post on religion or politics and I really don't say too much. In fact, I was thinking of leaving Facebook anyway because I'd mostly lost interest in the community. The only thing keeping me there were the pleadings of family to send pictures and the fact that no other social media service has caught on enough to pull my contacts away.
Since Facebook is a free service, I'm a taken aback by this demand for ID. I'm sorry, I thought this was Facebook, not Homeland Security or a fascist state. I know it's a policy in order to authenticate a celebrity account, but I'm no celebrity. This type of thing has happened to other people and the only explanation they were given is that they violated terms of service. Many people are warned in an email prior to suspension, but those of us who are identified as "severe offenders" are suspended without warning. Severe offenders do things like bully or post hate speech, graphic violence, and pornography. Rest assured, this mild mannered blogger doesn't live a double life. You can also be suspended if someone flags you for doing something offensive. I certainly hope one of my "friends" isn't that mean spirited.
I have some theories as to what has caused this problem. Number 1, they don't like that I post things from a European smartphone and from an American Proxy server or No. 2, they are bothered that I claim my photos with a watermark (they're my pictures, darnit, and I don't want so-and-so from high school saying otherwise!). Facebook is notorious for refusing to honor people's intellectual property and accusing me of stealing my own photographs seems to fit their M.O.
So, I'm currently contesting the situation through their extremely unhelpful Help Center. In the meantime, much to my consternation, my connections can still see my page and interact with it, but I cannot have access to it.
What will all this hassle accomplish in the end? Facebook will have successfully driven away another user and my aunt will have to go to my Flickr account just like everyone else.
Ok, the store is open. Off to buy some bread.
Oh, and yay for Liege-Bastogne-Liege!
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