Facebook Will Allow up to Five Profiles to be Linked to a Single Account

Meta Platforms Inc announced on Thursday that its flagship social network Facebook will allow users to maintain up to five profiles, a significant departure from the "real name" requirement that the company has maintained since its inception.

According to Meta, the product change will "help people tailor their experience based on interests and relationships," such as posting different types of content aimed at family versus friends.

The company will continue to require each user to have only one Facebook account, with a primary profile that uses the user's real name. After logging in to that account, people will be able to access any additional profiles they create.

The change gives users formal permission to semi-anonymize their identity on the world's largest social network, mirroring options provided by competitors such as TikTok and Twitter, as well as Meta's own photo and video app Instagram.
Meta stated in its statement that its rules against impersonation and other types of false identity representations would continue to apply to all profiles.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the new approach was being tested in certain countries, but declined to specify which ones.