With the recent breaches of Facebook user private data, the unintentional leak of contact lists on Google Buzz, and the incidents of unverified user profiles, it was only natural that Google made this a central feature when they launched their social networking platform Google Plus earlier this year. What they surely did not anticipate was that their real name verification policy change would draw the attention of privacy watchdogs.
The origins of this development began when Google announced that it would block users who did not use their verified real names for their Google public profiles, an essential requirement for using their new service, Google Plus. Over the next few weeks, users without verified profiles found themselves getting blocked, not just from plus, but from other Google services as well.
While Bradley Horowitz, VP, products at Google was quick to issue an apology to the effect that Google Plus was in a work progress and these lock outs were inadvertent, users were still not very pleased with the basic premise of the real name policy. In a recent breaking story, it was reported that the United Kingdom Information Commissioners Office has started an unofficial inquiry into Google’s common name policy.
Facebook too encourages the use of real names, but does not enforce it or block users who use their nicknames or pseudonyms. Many public figures and social critics use pseudonyms to participate in social media. While Google spells out the intention is to create a social network platform of real individuals and their common name policy was a way to keep businesses and anonymous troublemakers out of the network, not many people are buying this argument.
What made matters worse, almost verging on violation of rights, was that they started blocking profiles without any notice, and without verification locking out profiles that appeared to them to be businesses, or even acting on profiles flagged as fake or spam by other users. Adding insult to injury was the fact that this was done in a haphazard and indiscriminate fashion with some profiles that obviously belonged to businesses still staying active.
Google’s policy has been obviously upsetting to all who need to be able to keep their personal or public lives away from their online identities. There has been no clear cut indication that Google will change its policy in this matter, beyond an assurance that they are open to feedback. They have also put in place a mechanism where users whose profiles do not meet their verification standards will be informed and educated about what they need to do in order to comply with it.
Access to other Google services has been delinked from the profile verification process.
With bodies like the Information Commissioners Office getting into the act and looking into the real name issue, the policy tweaks that have been making the headlines will attract more scrutiny by privacy watchdogs all over the world.
This is guest post by Rebecca. She is a writer and a blogger. She loves exploring new places and has a bend towards gadgets. She is an eco friendly person. She recently bought an electric bike for herself.
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But the main issue is the combination of bad privacy policies and then forcing people to have real identities on social networks. For Eg: Facebook wants peopel to use real names but it horrible when it comes to privacy of shared photos.
I think Google want all those on Google plus should have real identity.Thatz why the recently removed buisness profiles from Google+
To be completely accurate, Facebook _does_ ban accounts with pseudonyms — but only after said accounts have been reported enough times to rise above the noise level. They’re “passively” enforcing their policy.
Google Profiles, however, is using a computer algorithm to seek-and-destroy people with pseudonyms. That’s even more insidious than active enforcement; it’s a witch hunt.
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