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A US lawyer with the same name as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is suing the social media platform, arguing it keeps suspending his account while falsely accusing him of “impersonating a celebrity”.
Mark S Zuckerberg says his account has been disabled five times over the past eight years, and it has cost him thousands of dollars in lost business.
The Indiana bankruptcy attorney’s lawsuit states that he has been practising law for 38 years – ever since Mark E Zuckerberg, now one of the richest men in the world, was a toddler.
Meta said it had reinstated the lawyer’s account and was taking steps to prevent the mistake recurring.
“It’s not funny,” Mr Zuckerberg told WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana. “Not when they take my money.”
The lawsuit, filed in Marion Superior Court, argues that Facebook parent company Meta is in breach of contract because he paid $11,000 (£8,200) for advertising that was improperly taken down.
“It’s like buying a billboard on the side of the highway, paying the people for the billboard and then they come and put a giant blanket over it and you don’t get the benefit of what you paid for,” he told WTHR.
Emails with Facebook that Mr Zuckerberg shared with local media indicate the company had accused him of not using his “authentic name”.
He said that he has submitted his photo ID, his credit cards, and multiple images of his face in order to prove his identity.
“I’m Mark Steven. And he’s Mark Elliot,” Mr Zuckerberg told WTHR.
His account was shut down in May, and only restored after his lawsuit was filed.
In a statement, the company said it had “reinstated Mark Zuckerberg’s account, after finding it had been disabled in error”.
“We appreciate Mr Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future.”
Mr Zuckerberg, who specialises in bankruptcy law, started a website to track mix-ups over his name, including the time he was inadvertently sued by the state of Washington for abuse.
