Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Microsoft Researcher Calls Google+ Real-Name Rules ‘Abuse of Power’

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    August 7, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      A Microsoft researcher came out swinging at the stringent “real-names” policy for Google+ that requires the jettisoning of accounts on the social network that have been forged with fake names or pseudonyms.

      Google+ requires its 25 million-plus users to fill out Google user Profiles, public pages on the Web that users may fill out “to help connect and find real people in the real world.”

      The company’s position is that by providing a common name, users will be assisting their friends, family members, classmates, co-workers, and other acquaintances to find and create “a connection with the right person online.”

      Google had initially killed accounts that flew in the face of its Profiles approach-those it detected with fake names or pseudonyms-outright. After considerable backlash, Google revised its real-name policy in late July, pledging to warn users that their fake or pseudonymous account is in violation.

      Google now gives those users a chance to provide their real name before the account is suspended. Bradley Horowitz, vice president of Google+, said Google would also provide a “clear indication of how the user can edit their name to conform to our community standards.”

      That was not enough to satisfy that those who have been abused or politically persecuted have a voice without putting themselves in harm’s way. Danah Boyd, a well-known speaker on online identity and culture for Microsoft, blasted the real-name policy in a blog post Aug. 4.

      Teenagers and people of color use pseudonyms or nicknames on Facebook, where fake names are also prohibited, Boyd said, adding that people who most heavily rely on pseudonyms online tend to be those who are most marginalized by power structures.

      “‘Real-names policies aren’t empowering; they’re an authoritarian assertion of power over vulnerable people,” Boyd said. “These ideas and issues aren’t new (and I’ve even talked about this before), but what is new is that marginalized people are banding together and speaking out loudly.”

      However, most Facebook users who tried to use nicknames on Facebook rarely spoke out or lacked the public platform to do so. Google+, by contrast, is populated by tech-savvy users who also tend to use nicknames but do have such pedestals.

      She alluded to bloggers such as by Kirrily “Skud” Robert, who polled users who use pseudonyms online and found myriad reasons for doing so, most of which center around privacy. Boyd cheered the outcry against Google+.

      “What’s at stake is people’s right to protect themselves, their right to actually maintain a form of control that gives them safety,” Boyd wrote. “If companies like Facebook and Google are actually committed to the safety of its users, they need to take these complaints seriously. Not everyone is safer by giving out their real name. Quite the opposite; many people are far LESS safe when they are identifiable. And those who are least safe are often those who are most vulnerable.”

      Leaders at Google and Facebook shouldn’t dictate real-name policies based on their assumptions for why users choose to use fake names, noting that there is no set, universal context, Boyd said. She asserted:

      “Just because people are doing what it takes to be appropriate in different contexts, to protect their safety, and to make certain that they are not judged out of context, doesn’t mean that everyone is a huckster. Rather, people are responsibly and reasonably responding to the structural conditions of these new media. And there’s nothing acceptable about those who are most privileged and powerful telling those who aren’t that it’s OK for their safety to be undermined.“

      That is why, Boyd said, enforcing “real names” policies in online spaces is an abuse of power.

      Boyd made a compelling argument, but it might be better to look at why real names are so important to Google and Facebook.

      Google and Facebook may require real names because they want to more accurately target users for contextual advertising-the kind with users’ real names included in ads.

      It might be too early to expect the sort of iris-scanning real-name ad approaches featured in “Minority Report” a decade ago, but it’s a direction Internet companies one day could take to match the right ad to the right person. It’s all about making more money, of course.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×