There's a difference between *imitation* and just having the same name. - ###Unintentional coincidence *Example: 2 people named John who create an account with the same display name. The profile picture will most likely be different.* This is the case when two users just happen to use the same name, and is completely OK. - ###Intentional impersonation *Example: 10 blade19899's with the exact same name and profile picture.* This is not allowed and the imitators should be flagged with an appropriate message in *"other (needs ♦ moderator attention)"*. This is supported by the [SE Content Policy](http://stackexchange.com/legal/content-policy/): > **Identity Theft and Privacy.** Users that misleadingly appropriate the identity of another person are not permitted. [ ... ]