Google+ And The Death Of Online Anonymity

Google+ wants its users to use their real names in making profiles in the social network. This has been the problem of Facebook in the past. Now the search giant has been suspending accounts on Google+ for various reasons but users are complaining that it is too strict in some cases but it’s not consistent with its policy.
People are now asking whether anonymity in the internet is already going away because of Google’s obsession with the users’ real name. In a recent crackdown in Google+, accounts suspended included some prominent members of the hacker community. These include a programmer named Skud and a popular iPhone developer only known by his alias MuscleNerd.
There are reports that certain accounts were restored even though they used obvious pseudonyms. Google said that it doesn’t really want to force people to use their legally given names and doesn’t mind people setting up profiles under commonly used names although the rules are too vague and open to different interpretations.
Google senior vice president Vic Gundotra said that the company wants to maintain a positive tone on the social network. He compared the policy as requiring people to wear shirts in a restaurant. But online identity is a lot complex than that.