Facebook and Privacy

Frankly, this is beyond creepy

This is scary. And personal.

If you’re in a hurry, scroll down to the “Here’s where it gets scary…” part. If you care about your online privacy, this is important.

I’ve included LOTS of screenshots, because - really - except that it’s my story, I might not believe this. (I’m still so stunned by this, the first version of this post had some glaring typos. I’ve now fixed them. While blushing, of course.)

Also, if you want to alert friends, please do NOT post this Substack link on Facebook. You might be putting your own account at risk.

* DEEP BREATH *

You may already know this: Late in June, when I was in the middle of writing a post, Facebook’s ‘bots shut down my account. Facebook was the main way I stayed in touch with friends, family, former classmates, etc.

The full backstory

In June, in the middle of writing a personal post, Facebook blocked access to my account. Facebook’s ‘bots claimed that I was representing myself as a business that I didn’t own.

(Umm… no, it’s my personal account, though I manage writing-related Facebook Pages through that account and - like many authors - I use pen names. “Aisling D’Art” has been one of them, since the 1990s, when few women were online, and I chose to protect my privacy.)

To get my account back, I had to prove that I was… well, me.

So, I sent Facebook the required paperwork, including a photo of my U.S. passport.

They said it didn’t match my account name.

Well, yes. When I’d set up my Facebook account in 2007, wanting childhood friends and distant cousins to realize it was me, I’d used my maiden (pre-marriage) name: Eileen Morey.

And, after marriage, I’d legally changed “Eileen” to the Irish spelling, “Eibhlin” [also pronounced like “Eileen”], which my favorite grandfather had wanted me to be named. (At the time of the name change, my married surname was MacIntosh.)

So, I tried using Facebook’s “submit legal name change paperwork here” link… and it told me there was “too much blank space” on my document.

But… when I cropped all the empty spaces and borders off the JPG scan of the paperwork, it was still rejected for… “too much blank space.” * blink-blink * Whaaaat…?

So, I tried an alternate ID upload link on their site, and they claimed the document (as a full-size JPG scan) was too small. Umm… it was 8.5” x 11”. The pixel size was far larger than required.

So then, I contacted Facebook at Appeals@fb.com. They replied, basically telling me to appeal again, but with other paperwork.

I tried again with my legal name-change paperwork, online, but reached the same “document too small” message.

So, I wrote to the Appeals email again, this time including

• my birth certificate,

• my legal name-change paperwork,

• my U.S. passport,

• a formal book contract (from Schiffer publishing) showing both surnames, and

• I even included the legal paperwork (from Utah) that my husband signed, giving me permission (yes, really) to legally change the spelling of my name from Eileen to Eibhlin.

Surely that was enough to prove I’m me, right…?

Nope. I got the same form letter from Appeals. They wanted more/different forms of ID to let me access my account.

Rinse, lather, repeat… twice more. Same objection about me not having the right IDs.

So…

Persisting, I kept searching the Facebook site for anywhere that I could submit my legal paperwork, showing that, yes, my name had been Eileen Morey (the name I’d used at Facebook for over 15 years).

Then - success! - using their “non-government ID” upload page, I was able to submit my legal paperwork, my U.S. passport, and even my husband’s permission form.

Today, this was Facebook’s new, final message:

So, I’m still blocked, and can’t request another review of their decision, but I can download all of my info.

At this point, I thought this was just silly. Even more ridiculous, here’s what I saw when I clicked on their “Read more..” link. (I even clicked on it two different times, just in case it was a system glitch… and saw the same screen each time.)

So, I downloaded the file I did have access to… containing Facebook’s information for the Eileen Morey account, now closed by Facebook.

Here’s where it gets scary…

How personal is the information in that file…? Well, here’s just part of one page from it. (I’ve blurred-out important details. You’ll still see why I’m concerned.)

Clearly, they’ve known that my email uses the eibhlinm name, and that the alternate spelling of my name is Eibhlin. They know my birthdate. They know where I grew up. They know who my relatives are, and a lot more…

Yes, there’s far more on that page, including more relatives’ names, but I’m only sharing this part, to make a point.

If I’m not actually Eileen Morey, why did Facebook let me download all of Eileen Morey’s information…?

Rhetorical question.

And then, the REALLY creepy part…

I checked to see what ELSE is in the folder I downloaded. It included map coordinates, with an “inferred location” of where I am now, and places I’ve been for the past ~2 years.

Here’s where Facebook says I was in May 2023. I recognized it right away. It’s a neighborhood where we visited friends, while we were in Texas. I’m not sure it’s the exact address, but it’s close enough to be disturbing.

This next map shows where Facebook says I was in September 2023. The address is incorrect, but it’s not far from where we stayed when we arrived in Florida last year.

(Note: I’m NOT posting the map where Facebook says we are right now. It’s not exactly correct, but close enough to make me uneasy.)

Remember, Facebook gave me this information, while - at the same time - insisting I didn’t have enough ID to access that Facebook account.

If you’re a political activist, influencer, celebrity, or a battered spouse avoiding an ex-, this could be worrisome, to put it mildly. In fact, I think many people will be troubled by this.

Another angle - FAR less creepy, but still troubling…

Some people at Facebook have changed (or will in the future) their names. They might do that because of marriage, something relating to identity, a whim, or a combination of reasons.

In some cases, they’ll also change their profile photos and gender identities.

But what will they do, if - for example - Facebook finds out that Brianna Smith is the current, legal name of the person who - years ago - set up their Facebook account when they were Brian Miller?

Do they risk losing their accounts, and possibly have to rebuild from scratch…? And what about their privacy concerns?

Rhetorical questions.

I could go on & on about this, but I’m sure you get the point: Either Facebook is living in the Dark Ages, they’re far too careless with private information, or they have some weird system glitches that urgently need repairs.

(I might also add: There needs to be a way to reach Facebook and speak with an actual human being.)

The irony of this is, when Facebook shut down my account, I was in the middle of posting (on Facebook) a link to one of their privacy pages. I wanted people to know how to opt-out of some data-sharing.

If you can suggest organizations that need to know about Facebook’s troubling practices, let me know in comments or email: hello@eileenmorey.me (Yes, that is a real email address and I own that domain name. When I purchased it, it seemed funny. Now, I’m not so sure.)

Me..? I’m going to go watch some mindless movies from the 1960s and 70s, before things got this weird. I need the afternoon off. And probably a lot of chocolate.