Meta Sued by Indiana Lawyer Mark Zuckerberg Over Disabled Facebook Account

MARK ZUCKERBERG SUES META OVER FACEBOOK ACCOUNT DISABLING An Indiana lawyer named Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, alleging that his account was repeatedly disabled due to a mistaken assumption that he was impersonating a celebrity. According to court documents filed in May 2022, Mark S. Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy attorney from Indiana, claimed that his commercial Facebook account was disabled multiple times because it shared a name with Meta's founder and CEO, Mark E. Zuckerberg. The lawyer alleged that the tech company kept his advertising budget of $11,000 intact while disabling his account. "I'm not trying to impersonate anyone," Mark S. Zuckerberg told Fortune in an interview. "I just want to be able to use Facebook for my law practice without being penalized for sharing a name with someone else." Meta's spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation. The issue highlights the challenges faced by individuals who share names with public figures. In this case, Mark S. Zuckerberg argued that his account was unfairly targeted due to its similarity in name to Meta's CEO. "It's not just about me; it's about the thousands of people out there who have the same name as a celebrity or public figure," he said. "We should be able to use social media without being penalized for sharing a name." The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction to prevent future account disabling. A Meta spokesperson stated that the company would review the case but declined further comment. Background context shows that Meta has faced criticism in the past over its handling of similar issues, with some users reporting difficulties in verifying their identities due to shared names or usernames. Additional perspectives suggest that this case may have broader implications for social media platforms and their policies on name duplication. Experts argue that companies like Meta must balance user identity verification with the need to protect against impersonation and phishing attempts. The current status of the lawsuit remains unclear, but it is expected to continue in the coming months. *Reporting by Fortune.*