Google+ repeals pseudonym policy, integrates apps

Google+ banned fake names , or pseudonyms, back in August, but now, it seems they’re repealing that ban. Google’s Vice President of social, Vic Gundotra, said at Web 2.0 Summit, “We plan to support pseudonyms in the future. We’re working on it. It’s coming.” Previously, if Google saw that your name on Google+ was fake, they would block your account saying that your profile violates their Common Standards. You had no chance to appeal, and you had four days to change your name and then you’d be booted off. The reason Google did this was because they wanted to keep it easy for users to find not only their friends but also celebrities’ and public figures’ authentic accounts.

You don’t have to keep it real anymore

Additionally, Gundotra said that Google apps will soon be integrated into Google+. He commented it will be a matter of days when that fix is made. He also added that in line with Google+’s privacy policy, the social network will not provide frictionless sharing which is what Facebook does, where sharing happens by default. He said that Google doesn’t believe in oversharing, similar to how you don’t always speak every thought that comes to your head.