Facebook asked to reinstate Honduras whistleblower's account

Was it right for social networking juggernaut Facebook to disable a user’s account because she used a pseudonym? A group of Hondurans think not, as they asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to reinstate the account of a female blogger who they said must use a false name while reporting on crime there. “La Gringa is a serious, long-time blogger (since 2006) who lives in the most dangerous city in the most dangerous country in the world according to the United Nations - Honduras, where 17 journalists have been murdered in the past two years (and) where many reporters are afraid to write about organized crime or political matters," they said in a petition addressed to Zuckerberg. “By disabling her account, Facebook is silencing one of the few internet voices in English in Honduras. We hope that Facebook will take a serious look at her account and consider reinstating it," they added. They said La Gringa must use a pseudonym “not to deceive, but because it is the only way that she can exercise her freedom of speech without fear of serious reprisals." The petition was started by Empecemos A trabajar, which claims to be an organization of “Hondurans working for Honduras" that is “willing to work hard and smart for as long as it takes." As of 6 p.m. (Manila time), the petition had gathered 346 signatures. According to the petitioners, La Gringa started writing a series of blog articles about crime and narco-trafficking in Honduras, which may have triggered a complaint about her Facebook account. They also voiced suspicions her political articles were blocked by Facebook for a time last year and the year before “because of false complaints." “La Gringa history on Facebook should show that she is not a ‘fake’ or a spammer. she haves almost 1,200 Facebook friends (most of them for 2 years or more) under the only name by which she is known in Honduras, the US, Canada and Central America. Her FB friends and 1,400 blog followers understand the reasons why she must use a pseudonym," they said. They also said Facebook, by asking for a copy of her ID, is asking her to put her life in danger. A separate article on The Next Web described La Gringa as an American blogger. “As you can imagine, these are good reasons for La Gringa’s choice to hide her real name when she’s reporting life in Honduras and local news, including crime, politics and drug trafficking, among other topics," it said. — TJD, GMA News