Google's vice president of social Vic Gundotra reportedly said that the new Google+ name policy is akin to when a restaurant has a "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy. If users don't follow the rules, they can't be part of Google+.
Robert Scoble relayed the communication he had with Gundotra secondhand on Google+:
He says it isn't about real names. He says he isn't using his legal name here. He says, instead, it is about having common names and removing people who spell their names in weird ways, like using upside-down characters, or who are using obviously fake names, like "god" or worse.
Most importantly, Gundotra said that it would now communicate with users to tell them of their infractions, something that several users, including "Star Trek" actor William Shatner, reported not happening before their accounts were terminated, according to Business Insider.
However, part of the reason for verified names is to create a secure environment for celebrities, as we reported last week. Google+ now has more than 20 million users, and if you are the real Lady Gaga or Angelina Jolie, you would like to make sure no one else is using your name to send goofy or incendiary messages. I believe Google+ ridding itself of false names is the first step in creating verified accounts. Too bad its initial way of doing so was such a ham-fisted disaster.
