Thousands of Facebook users have vented their fury at the social media site on Twitter after they were locked out of the site, and were requested to provide “Government ID” to log back in.Similar mass lockouts have occurred on Facebook in the past, most recently in January this year. At that time, the ID request was in response to claims that users’ accounts had been hacked.“This is just a general practice for both Facebook and Instagram to request photo IDs for verification purposes depending on what type of violation may have occurred,” Facebook said at the time.This is the first mass lockout and ID request to have taken place since the NSA government data trawling revelations, and it seems to have outraged users to a greater extent.Facebook has issued a statement to The Drum to apologise for the error.

The Twitter community has expressed outrage

AND Facebook is asking me to upload a “government ID” in your dreams FB! pic.twitter.com/YjOuGDeoJk — Yunis (@unicitu) October 29, 2013

My Facebook account is disabled and they are asking for my government ID !!!! WTF October 29, 2013

So my whole house has a Facebook thing that's asking us for government ID... #notsuspicious — Syd (@SydneyUmlah) October 29, 2013

i'm locked out of my facebook account and i have to provide government-issued ID for me to get it back. I Guess it got hacked.. — wally (@waleed919) October 29, 2013

FACEBOOK IS ASKING FOR A GOVERNMENT ID whuut!?! — Raniela De Leon✞ (@RaineSalamante) October 29, 2013

So @facebook blocked my account because they "need to prove" that it's me, they want a government issued ID. Is that even legal? — Adrian Benavides (@adriian_be) October 29, 2013

@facebook What's going on with my account? Why are you asking me for a government photo ID? — Stefan A Clarke (@Slimz11) October 29, 2013

Has Facebook asked anyone else for Government ID for verification before? This is completely absurd. — Amadea Ng (@amadahh) October 29, 2013

Facebook has locked me out and is demanding government ID before it lets me in. How about... no...? #whatthefuck#seriouslyguys#no — Devon Ashley (@WildFeraligatr) October 29, 2013

Da fack happened to my facebook? Locked and asking for Government ID #SmokeyBehaviour — Dara Grant (@DaraGrant1) October 29, 2013

UPDATE: Facebook has since issued an apology for requesting a 'Government ID' to sign in. It is believed that there was no security reason behind a request; merely a mistake on behalf of the social networking site.