 "Mark Zuckerberg sues Mark Zuckerberg: What’s the story here?")
Mark Zuckerberg has sued Mark Zuckerberg.
Sounds puzzling? In reality, Mark Zuckerberg has filed a case against Meta.
But isn’t Zuckerberg the CEO of Meta?
The real story is that an American lawyer, who happens to have the same name as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has sued Meta.
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So, what is this case about? Why has he gone to court?
Let’s take a look:
Mark Zuckerberg vs Mark Zuckerberg
An Indiana lawyer named Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta after the social media company repeatedly blocked both his personal and business accounts, accusing him of pretending to be its founder.
Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer based in Indianapolis, has faced confusion over his name for 15 years because he shares it with Facebook’s billionaire creator.
His verified personal account has been suspended five times. In May, his law firm’s page was removed for the fourth time, costing him $11,000 in advertising fees. Now, he has decided to take Meta to court, according to the New York Post.
“Normally you would say, well, it’s just Facebook and it’s not a big deal, but this time it’s affecting my bottom line because I was paying for advertising for my business to try and get clients,” the lawyer told the media outlet.
“So they took my money, but then after they took my money, they shut me down for what they say is impersonating a celebrity, not using a true name and violating their community standards. And it’s the same message I get every time they shut me down.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMark Zuckerberg is not pretending to be Mark Zuckerberg, because he is also Mark Zuckerberg. In his filing, he argued that he was already working as a lawyer before the Facebook founder was even out of preschool.
The lawsuit
The lawyer filed his case on Tuesday in Marion Superior Court, accusing Meta of negligence and breach of contract for shutting down his accounts without valid reasons.
He said his first suspension happened in 2010, and each time since, he has had to go through a long and frustrating appeal.
That has included sending in photos of himself, his driving licence and his credit cards to prove he is a real person and not breaking Facebook’s rules.
“I think it’s offensive that a company that is supposed to be so tech savvy in the world can’t figure out how to flag my accounts and keep this from happening,” he said.
“It’s like they’re almost doing it on purpose, but I’m sure they’re not but it feels like it.”
What’s in a name?
Although Zuckerberg joked that having the same name as Meta’s CEO sometimes works in his favour, like getting a better table at a restaurant after booking under the name, he admits it has also been a constant source of problems, calling the mix-up a “thorn in my side.”
His law firm gets daily calls from frustrated Facebook users seeking account help, receives endless deliveries intended for the tech billionaire.
In 2020, he was even mistakenly sued by Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services for alleged financial wrongdoing, the New York Post reported.
The constant confusion led him to start a website documenting such incidents. Still, he continues to rely on platforms like Facebook to draw in new clients and compete with other local firms also spending money on ads there.
“It’s the fact that they’re affecting my business now, you know, my clients can’t find me,” the lawyer said, adding that he wants Meta to return his money and cover his legal fees.
How did Meta respond?
Meta said it had restored his account and taken action to stop the error from recurring.
“We appreciate Mr Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future,” the company said in a statement.
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