Irresponsibly Crass Google+

Update

I shouldn't single out Google. They're all as bad as each other. Here's Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg saying the same awful, unintelligent, ill-informed and irresponsible crap as Google.

And here's another view on this which points out the real reason behind the drive for everyone, even vulnerable people, to use their real name online: follow the money.

I'm really getting unreasonably angry about this. Hmmm … I'm thinking activism.

I've just seen that Google is requiring people to use their full real name on Google+ and deleting accounts of anyone whose name doesn't look real, such as Jboy27 and NYGirl.

This is the most crass, ill informed and irresponsible thing the company has ever done and eliminates all sorts of people from using their system.

The brainlessness of this is breathtaking.

The world is full of vulnerable people, young and old. For example, a woman escaping from an abusive partner might be using social media to interact with others in the same situation and gaining invaluable support and advice — and they definitely do not want to be found.

Why do teenagers rebel? Because they're working out their identity and they can experiment with that online — anonymously.

The case of human rights activists has been made. Tweeting "the government is run by a bunch of corrupt old men" would be enough to get an unpleasant visit from the police in many countries.

One of the biggest issues in adoption and fostering for the last few years has been social media. See, for example, the excellent Facing up to Facebook by Eileen Fursland. So Google thinks it's OK for adopted children to be found by their birth families?

Page, Brin: hang your heads in shame.