Select Users of Facebook and Instagram being requested to submit proof of identity

There have been several complaints on the net that some  Facebook and Instagram users are finding themselves locked out of  their accounts with no good reason. To reinstitute their accounts they have to submit a scan of their official government issued ID. It would seem that such type of requests to confirm identities is definitely on the rise and the users are being provided some excuse or other. According to  a Facebook spokesperson this is the “general practice.” But that does not seem to be true as only select people are being targeted for such review.

Most likely this is Facebook’s newest way of checking out the veracity of the ID.  Perhaps with a view to reduce or even completely weed out spam accounts. Instagram on the other hand does allow its users to take refuge under pseudonyms. Which makes one think what exactly is the reason for Instagram to make such requests? What rule are the users violating by not using their own IDs? It seems the Facebook spokesperson was reluctant to provide any further insights and merely backed out with saying that IDs are requested “depending on what type of violation may have occurred.”

To add to the confusion it is also learned that some IDs are not being accepted. In such cases Facebook and Instagram users are required to submit even more personal documentation such as birth certificates. In the beginning Facebook only targeted those who had a large following but subsequently it widened the net to include what they considered typical users.

The whole thing is so not transparent and worsened by the generalized statements coming out of Facebook. If there is no flouting of  Instagram’s fourteen basic requirement such as no nudity, no harassment, and so on,  etc. it’s not right for the photo service to cut off accounts for issues that fall outside the purview of these guidelines. As expected, neither entity has responded to requests for clarification on its constantly changing policies. There has to be more than meets the eye to this one.