Woman named Isis banned from Facebook, asked to prove identity

A 27-year-old UK woman named Isis was denied access to her Facebook account and asked to send an identity proof by the social networking site as part of its stringent policy to erase all traces of ISIS terror outfit. Isis Thomas, a resident of Bristol in Britain, was asked to change her name after logging on to the site on June 27.

“I just tried to log in and when I did, the password went through and this box came up asking me something about changing my name. I was on Facebook as Isis Worcester, because when I first signed up years ago I didn’t use my real name, which is Isis Thomas, because of where I worked at the time,” Isis said. “I thought it was about the surname, so I just changed it to Isis Thomas. But that didn’t work and I realised they had a problem with me being called Isis,” she said.

Isis’s mother had named her after the ancient Egyptian goddess worshipped as the ideal mother, wife and the patron of nature and magic.

“They sent a message saying Isis wasn’t allowed, it didn’t comply with the policy. They asked me to send in proof of identity, which I did. That was on Monday and I haven’t been let on the site since,” Isis was quoted as saying by ‘The Sun’. Facebook has recently launched a crackdown on ISIS extremists who had used the network for propaganda purposes.

“Things have definitely changed for me and my name...It frustrates me that people still use ‘Isis’, especially when I see newspaper reports and they’ve written it ‘Isis’ instead of at least using capitals, like ISIS, because it’s an acronym,” the Bristol University worker said.

“I have no plans to change my name, though, I love it. I just want Facebook to realise it’s my real name,” she said. “It’s as though she has never existed. I have found Facebook impossible to contact and I’m furious,” said Sian, mother of Isis.