Same Profile names-multiple users!

[Avendt]

Why is Steam allowing same profile name to be used by many users? I had to change my name when I found out there are many people with the same name as me! I had received messages and invitations which were meant for someone else but with same Profile name as my previous name: Advent! Profile names were meant to be unique that identify each of us and not be shared by multiple people! I have no confidence in Steam when it comes to security of my name or account! I have decided to stop buying games through Steam...if they cannot secure my profile name, how on earth can I expect my account to be secure?...I cannot!

[Tofufu]

Aliases are not unique but you can assign a unique ID to your steam profile link, for example: Http:/steamcommunity.com/id/Avendt..

[HLCinSC]

Well account names are completely different from user names and multiple people with the same user name is not a direct threat as looking at their profile/avatar should tell you if you have the right person. Where the danger does lye is when scammers use it to trick people into serving as middle men then change their username to matych their friends in order to trick them into giving the item to them. I'm with you 100% though on usernames being restricted to the account they are first used on

[Avendt]

For a very long time I believed that my Profile name was my own. When I got messages and invitations to join the games from players I never heard of, I decided to check those peoples profile pages and found my name as their friend...on closer inspection I realised these were other players with a same Profile name as me! That was a shock to me as I always thought that Profile name was what made us different from other players! Yes, there is an account id but I knew that I can have a steam profile name by which other players can identify me and it feels more secure knowing that steam account name is only being used between me and steam...until I got messages with offers, invitations for friendship, or to join the games...having same profile name as another person makes me question what is the worth of it? I strongly believe that steam should make profile names unique to an account that has been used first! Exactly as HLCinSC put it himself!

[Tofufu]

Originally posted by Avendt:

For a very long time I believed that my Profile name was my own. When I got messages and invitations to join the games from players I never heard of, I decided to check those peoples profile pages and found my name as their friend...on closer inspection I realised these were other players with a same Profile name as me! That was a shock to me as I always thought that Profile name was what made us different from other players! Yes, there is an account id but I knew that I can have a steam profile name by which other players can identify me and it feels more secure knowing that steam account name is only being used between me and steam...until I got messages with offers, invitations for friendship, or to join the games...having same profile name as another person makes me question what is the worth of it? I strongly believe that steam should make profile names unique to an account that has been used first! Exactly as HLCinSC put it himself!

I understand that, just as I want my name- Youli to be unique to me and only I can use that name but think of it, there will be some flaw too. What if a guy had Chris as his alias and if the name Chris is restricted and can only be use on his account and then he went on and changed his name to something else. It would not be fair to the others too as they can't use the alias- Chris as there are many people has their name as Chris too.