Facebook relaxes 'real name' policy in face of protest

After complaints from civil liberties groups, company promises more awareness of context of real-name complaints

Facebook has announced plans to water down its controversial "real names" policy, after lobbying from civil liberties groups worldwide.

The new rules still officially require the use of "authentic names" on the site, something which has previously resulted in criticism from varied groups including the drag community, Native Americans, and trans people. While Facebook does not require the use of "legal names" on the site, it does demand that users identify with the name that other people know them by.