Outline Circulating Facebook post warns that users are getting suspended or banned from Facebook because people they have sent friend requests to have clicked "No" in response to the question "Do you know this person?"
Brief Analysis
It is true that Facebook users can be temporarily blocked from sending further friend requests if requests they have sent have been marked as unwelcome or gone unanswered. However, this warning message is nevertheless misleading and inaccurate. Blocks are generally temporary and only stop people from sending friend requests and messages until the block is lifted.
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Last updated: 12th March 2012
First published: 12th March 2012
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
Research by Steve Williamson, David White, Brett Christensen About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer
Example
VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ: Nice people are getting banned from facebook and it could happen to you, too - the reason is because when you get a friend request, if you click the "not now" button, you will automatically recieve a request from Facebook saying, "Do you know this person?" if you click no, that person will automatically be suspended from group chats, blocked from sending friend requests, and other nasty things for 7-30 days, and if it happens enough - permanently. So please.. if you get an unwanted friend request, just ignore it. If you accidentally click the "not now" button, then ignore the request from facebook asking if you know them - do not respond to it. Please pass this around so we can protect our friends (and ourselves!).
Detailed Analysis
According to this message, which is circulating rapidly around Facebook, "nice" people are getting banned from Facebook because of the way other users are responding to their friend requests. The message claims that if a user clicks the "Not Now" button in response to a friend request and then clicks "No" in answer to the question "Do you know this person?", the sender of the request will automatically be blocked from sending further friend requests and have other account restrictions imposed.
It is certainly true that users who send friend requests to people they do not know can be temporarily blocked from sending further such requests. In its Help Center FAQ, Facebook notes:
Why am I blocked from sending friend requests?
Your account is temporarily blocked from sending friend requests because friend requests you’ve sent have gone unanswered or been marked as unwelcome. From now on, please don’t send friend requests to people you don’t know personally. Facebook is a place for connecting with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and other people you know well.
However, the suggestion in the warning that the offending user will also be suspended from using other account functionality is unfounded. Another Facebook FAQ notes:
Can I still use the rest of Facebook during this block?
Yes. Your account is only blocked from sending friend requests and messages to people you don’t know. This block is temporary, and you can still use other Facebook features during it.
Facebook may disable a user's account for a variety of reasons, including "Continued prohibited behavior after receiving a warning or multiple warnings from Facebook". Perhaps, a user who has been blocked multiple times for sending unwelcome and unwanted friend requests or messages might eventually have his or her account disabled. However, there is no evidence to suggest that people are being regularly and commonly banned from Facebook just for sending unwanted friend requests.
Moreover, the advice in the message to simply ignore all unwanted friend requests in order to "protect" other users is hardly sensible. Receiving large numbers of unwanted friend requests can be annoying and intrusive. And, given that sending requests to people that you do not know personally is against Facebook's stated guidelines, it does not seem unreasonable that repeat offenders may be temporarily blocked from such activity.
The best way to avoid the temporary block described above is to refrain from sending friend requests to people you do not know. If you have already received such a block, Facebook has published guidelines for avoiding further blocks in the future.
