Google reverses 'real names' policy, apologizes

[Brink]

In a dramatic turnaround from policy created — and enforced — three years ago, Google has now reversed its "real names" policy. Users can now use any name they want across Google services.

The company announced, "there are no more restrictions on what name you can use."

A post Tuesday afternoon on Google's own Plus account apologized for the policy, saying:

When we launched Google+ over three years ago, we had a lot of restrictions on what name you could use on your profile. This helped create a community made up of real people, but it also excluded a number of people who wanted to be part of it without using their real names.

(...) Today, we are taking the last step: there are no more restrictions on what name you can use.

We know you've been calling for this change for a while. We know that our names policy has been unclear, and this has led to some unnecessarily difficult experiences for some of our users.

For this we apologize, and we hope that today's change is a step toward making Google+ the welcoming and inclusive place that we want it to be.

Thank you for expressing your opinions so passionately, and thanks for continuing to make Google+ the thoughtful community that it is.

Read more at: Google reverses 'real names' policy, apologizes | ZDNet

 

[NoN]

It tooks them three years.....!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hard to believe Google has opened their eyes to too much information is a bad thing on the net,
One day possibly they will also discover having a google account/ email to use youtube is also a zero net gain,
Cheers.

 

[King Arthur]

Three words: About damn time.

 

[Jonguy30]

Now this is good news indeed. I'm glad they decided to drop it.

 

[Iforgot]

Hard to believe Google has opened their eyes to too much information is a bad thing on the net,
One day possibly they will also discover having a google account/ email to use youtube is also a zero net gain,
Cheers.

Probably not...
Just the bean counters saying, we need more.

 

[lehnerus2000]

They have everyone's name and address on file now, so aliases don't worry them anymore.

 

[margrave]

Too late. I'm 100% out of google.
My email is elsewhere.
My storage is elsewhere.
My search is elsewhere.
I trust the NSA more than I trust google. (Well, maybe not MORE. Merely "just as little".)

 

[Jonguy30]

What about video hosting and viewing? Youtube is still #1 and there's really no real alternative to YT out there. Unless you simply don't use it, because recent redesigns have made it horrible.

 

[scr]

I was supposed to use my real name on google?

 

[andrew129260]

I was supposed to use my real name on google?

Ya I don't get it. I didn't have to either. How would they even know?

 

[Computer0304]

I know. Why would they target you specifically? I signed up using my real name but it is so common in Korea that it is almost impossible to find the real me. (First and last name combined)

 

[Wrend]

I was supposed to use my real name on google?

Ya I don't get it. I didn't have to either. How would they even know?

Because they "triangulate" all of your data on every account and contact on every devices and external IP address you've ever used anything that is even remotely related to Google on.

Because of this, I was forced to change to using my real name on an alias Google account I was using to specifically not use my real name on. (And no, I wasn't using this account for any nefarious reasons; I just wanted anonymity on it.) No where on this account was my real name used, but they knew what it was anyway, and forced me into using it, if I wanted to continue using the account for what I was using it for. So yeah, that account is basically worthless now for what its initial purpose was.

If you somehow managed to fall through the cracks, you either don't use many Google services and don't have any accounts with them that contain your real information, or you are exceedingly fortunate.

I like Google services a lot for some things and hate them for others. We have a rocky and seemingly abusive relationship which I'm too reliant on to just walk away from. I guess the pros still outweigh the cons for me.

Regardless of what you might think, the sad reality is that you have no real anonymity on the internet, and that if anyone or anything tries hard enough and has enough incentive to try that hard, they will find out who you are, where you live, everything you've ever done online, and likely where you are at this very moment. Ironically, the main incentive is only to try and sell you something that you're slightly more likely to buy, or to sell your internet history to someone else who thinks it matters. Taking that into account, I'd still rather not make it any easier for them.

 

[Phill3990]

Seems the only way to escape being logged and tracked by people is to use privacy browsers (Tor and the like) or having a good amount of knowledge of how to hide yourself by using other software. Pretty soon the story of the Watchdogs game released by ubisoft this year will come true :shock:

 

[Wrend]

Seems the only way to escape being logged and tracked by people is to use privacy browsers (Tor and the like) or having a good amount of knowledge of how to hide yourself by using other software. Pretty soon the story of the Watchdogs game released by ubisoft this year will come true :shock:

Keep in mind that these tools just make it more difficult, but because of that they can also make you a target (such as to the NSA http://www.wired.com/2014/07/nsa-targets-users-of-privacy-services/).

About the only way you're getting online without personally being tracked at all is if you don't have a cell phone/Wi-Fi capable device on your person, stole a laptop from a remote location without its owner knowing which you're never going to use again and dispose of properly that doesn't have any cameras on it and you're physically using it in a remote location that you don't frequent to connect to the internet that doesn't have any cameras and the other people there don't notice you being there at all. And of course, that you don't use the laptop to connect/log on to anything that you've used before and won't use again.

This may sound rather far fetched, but really, it isn't.

 

[Phill3990]

Thanks for posting that link Wrend it was a good read

 

[OvenMaster]

Heh. I had launched my Google and YouTube account about five years ago before they required real names. Over the past few years, they did keep pestering me whenever I did sign in so that I could "update" my account with a real name. I even managed to not have a cell phone number and get the account. They don't need my number (even if I had one) nor my real name. Score one for privacy advocates.

 

[Fantail]

I remember google pestering me for a mobile updates as well. It got so I stopped using my youtube channel or signing on at all. This move might entice me to bother once again. While that may sound dry once you depreciate something out of your life it doesn't make much sense to froth over it anymore.

 

[RoasterMen]

So I didn't used a real name on google and they know my name now?

 

[ThrashZone]

I guess the new hitch is Google automatically enters new members to google +