Google plus users to identify themselves or face termination

Google Plus has announced its decision to terminate the accounts of users who operate under fictitious names

If you are socializing on Google+ with a fake name, it's better you rename your profile. Yes, according to the latest developments, the emerging social networking giant has decided to shut down accounts operating with fake names.

Failure to do so will lead to automatic termination of account from Google+. Saurabh Sharma, Product Manager with Google+ team shared this new rule through a video uploaded on Youtube and Google+.  Meanwhile, for experts, it is fast turning out to be a desperate move to bring the element of authenticity to Google+. 

Interestingly, this is not the first time Google+ has done something like this. Not very long ago, the company had debarred accounts which it believed weren't using their original identities to run them. The only difference between the two situations is earlier, it let users appeal for the same.

Mr. Sharma clearly stated that if the company finds any account not complying to new regulations, they will face action. However, a grace period of 4 days will be given to make amends.

He defined the term 'action' saying the account will be suspended with immediate effect however, all the content and details will still be accessible to users. However, the decision to take down user accounts just on the basis of a fake name is proving too much to handle for people.

Many were of opinion that Google+ in an attempt to be unique is violating the most basic rule of social networking - privacy. Another argument that came in opposition of this move is the safety of user profiles from hackers. Google, in recent past, has been subjected to consistent hacking attempts. In few cases, the account security too had been compromised.

Yet Google+ hasn't been able to guarantee full-proof account security measures to users before introducing this rule, which is something that is working against them.

In order to broaden its reach, Google Plus recently introduced a feature which allows mobile users to update their Google plus accounts via SMS. The mobile penetration has grown exponentially in India, and this move will be a step in the right direction for Google in order to defeat its rival in the social networking space.