Kowboy Mike Hughes forced to change Facebook name

Professional wrestler Kowboy Mike Hughes may be a big name on P.E.I., but Facebook won't let him use his name unless he proves his identity.

A few days ago Hughes tried to log onto Facebook, but the page came up blank. His account had disappeared, and he didn't know why.

"It was a mystery to me at first," said Hughes.

He said he hadn't received any kind of notice about his account being disabled.

He contacted Facebook to find out if he had been blocked because of something he had posted. He said he then receiveda message saying he was blocked because he wasn't using a real name.

"Kowboy" had to go.

Facebook policy

According to Facebook's policy, users must register underthe name they use in their everyday life. If Facebook receives a complaint about a fake account, the user will be asked to submit a copy of a piece of photo identificationor other documents, like a bill or a library cardwhich shows their name.

While Hughes' doesn't have any identificationto prove it, he said he does go by Kowboy day to day.

"I've gone by Kowboy for the last 17,18 years now. And in the last 10 years, more people call me by Kowboy than they do Mike," said Hughes. "And all over the world, all the places I've travelled a lot of the people only know me by the name Kowboy."

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He said having his account briefly taken down had a big impact.

"It's funny how dependent our society's become on Facebook, because I was getting messages on my private Twitter account, etc. I had even one person thought that I was dead," said Hughes. "So I guess you take your Facebook down you're dead now."

Not the first time

Last December, Facebook announced it was testing new ways of dealing with complaints about fake names. Under the new policy, people would be given seven days to prove their identity, and would also have the option to explain their circumstances if were seeking an exemption, such asbeing LGBT, being an ethnic minority, or being a victim of domestic abuse or stalking.

Hughes said he wasn't given an option to give an explanation of his circumstances.

Ultimately, he just hopes he'll be able to have his Facebook name changed back to what it was.

"I don't understand why Kowboy is such a big deal all of a sudden," said Hughes.

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