Great article. I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with and worried about Facebook, and have been taking a break from it for a couple of weeks, and am in no hurry to return.

As I wrote in my blog, I really don’t like how ubiquitous Facebook has become, replacing e-mail and text messaging for so many people that it becomes their entire social network (which is, of course, the plan). I’m a photographer and blogger and am also frustrated at the near-necessity to use Facebook to get my work seen, but as I’m not currently dependent on photography or writing for a living, I’m willing to take the drop in hits.

I’m trans, and fortunately I was able to use my chosen name on Facebook for nearly a year without hassles before I got a legal name change. But I had my deadname listed in parentheses all that time (which I removed after the legal change). I’m not stealth, but a lot of people are, and a lot of cis people have good reason not to use their legal names online as well, as you and many others have pointed out.

Sadly, I don’t hold out much hope that the situation will improve. Facebook is a for-profit company, and no matter how many flags they wave in the Pride Parade (which I skipped this year in favor of the Trans March), the safety of their most vulnerable users is not a top priority.