German court rules Facebook may prevent its users from using fake names

Ruling is a coup for the social network, which has argued its real-name policy ensures people know who they are sharing with and protects them from abuse

Facebook may prevent its users from using fake names, a German court said on Thursday, overturning a previous order from the Hamburg data protection authority.

The ruling is a coup for the social network, which has long argued its real-name policy ensures people know who they are sharing and connecting with and protects them from the abuse of the wide-open internet.