engine - 11:04 am on Dec 18, 2012 (gmt 0)

A German data protection body has ordered Facebook to end its policy of making members use their real names. The policy violates German laws that give people the right to use pseudonyms online, said the data protection agency in Schleswig-Holstein. The agency has issued a decree demanding that Facebook let people use fake names immediately. Facebook said it would fight the decree "vigorously" and that its naming policy met European data protection rules. German Data Regulator Order Facebook to Change Real Name Policy [bbc.co.uk]