Technology

Did Google Create ‘Google+’ Just to Amass More Info About You?

Did you try to use a fake name when creating your Google+ account? It’s only normal; many people use pseudonyms on social media sites to protect some of their personal information. If you tried this, you know Google cracked down on the practice. But why does Google want your real name so much?

As Andy Carvin from NPR states on his Google+ account (via PC World), in a reported interview with Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Schmidt said to him that Google+ is as an “identity service.” Carvin writes further on his interview with Schmidt:

Regarding people who are concerned about their safety, he said G+ is completely optional. No one is forcing you to use it. It’s obvious for people at risk if they use their real names, they shouldn’t use G+. Regarding countries like Iran and Syria, people there have no expectation of privacy anyway due to their government’s own policies, which implies (to me, at least) that Schmidt thinks there’s no point of even trying to have a service that allows pseudonyms. Unfortunately, the way the Q&A was conducted, I wasn’t in a position to ask him a followup on this particular point.

Google Plus Wants Your Real Name for Identity Purposes

Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt is adamant about Google+ profiles using real names. (Photo: AP/Paul Sakuma)

PC World’s blog analyzes Google’s tactics and raises some important questions:

Essentially, Google wants you to use your real name because it needs that information for future efforts that are based on your identity. Did Google really just get into the social networking game to amass more information about you?

. . .

Think about it: Your social networking profile is a treasure trove of personal information. It says a lot about who you are and what you may like (or dislike) at any given point. One of Google’s primary businesses is advertising: that information is invaluable in this industry. The more highly targeted the ad, the more likely you’re going to click on it.

Google’s policy on use of real names states: “Google Profiles requires you to use the name that you commonly go by in daily life.“ Which will allow users to ”have confidence knowing that there is someone real behind the profile they’re checking out.”

But what about the company on the other end?

[H/T PC World]

Comments (83)

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  • ejbonk
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:41pm

    Google + General Electric = We Bring EVIL to LIFE!

    Report Post »  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:50pm

      It should scare people just knowing that the google and facebook execs are buddies with Obama.

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • SLEUTH
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:41pm

      always be careful on the internet. have a ‘junk’ email address to use to confirm email address when submitting aliases. never give your real name or any other info ie city/state etc. if you have a purchasing account with some company, you have no choice other then buy locally and pay cash; at least for now. for in the near future we will have a ‘cashless’ society. anyone can get your personal info through your IP address and only through a court order. which means those wanting info on you must have a good reason to satisfy the courts. or so its supposed to be. anyway one way of the other info on you can be had, hacking or otherwise. dont make it easy for them. remember, easy for you, easy for them.

      Report Post » SLEUTH  
    • Jaycen
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:26pm

      I don’t use Google for anything. I’ve removed as many apps from my work Android as I could. I keep the wi-fi and GPS settings turned off. I know it’s not perfect, but it’s what I can do.

      I use facebook, but I don’t put much personal info there. I don’t trust either of those companies as far as I could spit on them.

      Report Post » Jaycen  
    • JRook
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:31pm

      Everyone should go check their browser cookies section right now and become acquainted with the 12 plus cookies loaded by the blaze on behalf of their partners. And you don’t think these cookies are not tracking people who are not smart enough to set their system to block information capture and delete them when they leave the site.

      Report Post »  
    • Ookspay
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 3:36pm

      It is called THE WEB for good reason. like a fly in the spiders web, yes it’s true more is less.

      Report Post » Ookspay  
    • becker88
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 4:06pm

      Of course they will make more money with this.

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post »  
    • Evil Bert
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 4:36pm

      Google is only after profits. Facebook’s profits primarily. Facebook and Zuckerberg want to change the world. Zuckerberg wants to change the world and the way people behave through transparency. Zuckerberg believes (true to some degree) that people will not act in certain ways if they know their friends and family are watching. So if everyone in the world is on Facebook, then there would be total transparency and he believes that society would be better off. Zuckerberg believes heavily in the Northwest Native America “potlatch”. Each time you post on Facebook, you are gift-giving information to advertisers. He is a socialist who enjoys making $billions of dollars a year.

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:20pm

      Yea, Google keeps asking me for my phone number when I sign on to my blog. I just hit my saved tab again and it goes away. There is no skip button to just go to your blog. And, no, I’m not giving out my blog address to the trolls on here.

      Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 7:49pm

      THE CIA created google do your own research
      http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Ao4GD30F9OV9XYhHHssiJI552PAI?p=cia+created+google&fr=my-myy&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:11pm

      just google your name
      http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=tower7femacamp

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:29pm

      http://www.infowars.com/eric-schmidt-admits-google-is-a-giant-advertising-database/

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
  • judyaz
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:35pm

    I always worry about identity theft and really try to talk companies into not requiring me to give them my personal information before they will let me talk to customer service, etc. But who can fight a computer or automated voice system? I especially feel a violation of my privacy as my first and last name is required to be posted on my Facebook page. And the Google endeavors just seem to be growing. Every time I return to anything Google I find more of my personal information and websites, etc., identified and joined together. Apparently their search engines are searching throughout the internet (uninvited) and collecting all possible data about me together. Why? Have you noticed each time you go to Google there’s more and more personal information and links about you joined together? But not who’s sharing or gathering it. Is Big Brother watching? Have we passed what was forecast in the book, 1984? When will it surpass virtual? When did I lose my right to freedom of speech? When did I lose my privacy (except in my own mind)? Do the hackers, identity thieves, and other unfriendly governments (as well as businesses) also have access to all my personal information and interactions on-line, ever, not just the U.S. Government? Just wondering. I’m just a little old lady, a grandmother, an honest person. In previous years, such fantasy would have been considered paranoid thinking. When did reality become worse than what others imagined? For me, I’ve been sincere and trusting.

    Report Post » judyaz  
    • chfields62
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:18pm

      Expecting privacy on the internet shows a complete lack of common sense. If you don;t want your info online, then don’t give it, otherwise you have no room to complain.

      Report Post »  
  • Tusker
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:32pm

    I don’t believe any search engine you use is safe, however, I’ve never made it a practice to use google either. Also don’t do face book.

    Report Post » Tusker  
  • elecorn
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:31pm

    If you already have a g-mail account (or any public e-mail account for that matter), Google+ doesn’t provide any more information than that does.

    That being said, I like to think of anything I do online as being in the public view on my “permanent record”. Be careful of what you say and do online.

    As far as a fake name goes, I don’t much see the point. Why would you join a social network with a fake name unless your intent was to troll or deceive? If you’re not comfortable with providing your real name… why would you be comfortable participating in a social networking site?

    Report Post »  
    • Solzhenitsin
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:44pm

      Some of us go by a nickname in our daily lives which is different from our legal name. That works well for social networking while guarding one’s legal identiy from theives and other abuses.

      Report Post »  
    • ScreaminEagle
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:10pm

      Is ELECORN your real name? Oh whats your scocial security number?

      Report Post » ScreaminEagle  
    • AlansTigg
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:14pm

      Exactly, my parents did not actually name me Tigger :)

      Report Post » AlansTigg  
  • mikegray24
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:29pm

    Google+ doesn’t need your real name to track you. If you go by “JoeBlow123” then they can associate everything you do with that pseudonym and target ads to JoeBlow123.

    Report Post »  
  • outsidethebox
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:25pm

    I don’t know about anyone else, but I loath sites like Google and Facebook that force you to use your real identity.. There isn‘t hardly a social networking site anymore that isn’t affiliated with them in one way or another, even The Blaze is affiliated with Facebook. Google sucks anyway because when I use their search engine it comes up with a million things other than what I’m looking for. Screw Google.

    Report Post » outsidethebox  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:23pm

    Is Google looking for any and all information on each of us? YES.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • jcldwl
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:23pm

    I used to be a googler. But I swore off of it about a year and a half ago or maybe longer after I read an article about them getting on board with algore and his global warming farce. Also google used to honor our Christian holidays but I noticed they stop doing that as well and all kind of references to whacko liberal stuff started showing up. That was enough for me to say never again. I also don’t social network. Unfortunatly it has caused me to lose touch with some friends. For reasons I don’t understand, when people start facebooking, etc. they tend to quit using their e-mail. The social networking crap makes no sense, no sense at all.

    Report Post » jcldwl  
  • Goldmember
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:22pm

    Is anyone really shocked by this?

    Report Post » Goldmember  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:44pm

      Does any of us actually think we can keep our identity a secret?
      Those days ended back in the ‘30’s when we were required to get a social security card.

      Report Post » WhiteFang  
  • Godrulz
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:21pm

    Vee don’t need to zee yor peepas, vee olready have oll yor informazion.

    Report Post » Godrulz  
  • heyjim55
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:20pm

    This is to me another sign that we are headed into a totalitarian system, our Government has long been in bed with Google. With Obama in the White House surrounded by Marxists and Maoists one would think we are headed into Communism. But actually we are headed in a Fascist direction . Homeland Security was built not to protect the nation from terrorism but to watch us, the Patriot act is a vehicle in which they can implement this system. Corporation’s have merged with Government which Mussolini him self described as Fascism. After the second world war America imported two things that are affecting us today, cultural Marxists and Nazi’s, Marxists in the Education system and Fascists in Intelligence and Science, the CIA was actually modeled and designed by Nazi’s SS agents brought over after the war. We are now hearing and seeing the results of their efforts, the first of which took place in the 1960′s after Kennedy was shot. The economic collapse of this country will work in their favor as it did Hitlers so long as we let them.

    Report Post »  
  • Ballot_Box_Revolution
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:20pm

    “Regarding people who are concerned about their safety, he said G+ is completely optional. No one is forcing you to use it”

    That being said, how many companies will you contract with, essentially making the use of the internet almost impossible without using G+? it will get there eventually….. Google needs a real competitor…i have tried to not use google as a search engine, and it makes navigating the internet feel like I put 100 pound weights in my shoes to go for a walk…I would prefer something else for sure….

    Report Post » Ballot_Box_Revolution  
    • Tryharder
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:27pm

      There is another website that a friend recommended to me to use for searches: http://www.startpage.com . It doesn’t store your info. I did notice recently that this search engine is “enhanced by google.” But at least, you do have anonymity.

      Report Post »  
  • SimpleTruths
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:19pm

    And don’t forget to look under the bed before you go to sleep at night too, losers.

    Report Post » SimpleTruths  
  • sndrman
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:18pm

    where is aclu and the radical,socialist,communistsdemocrats,socialist media(PRAVADA) yelling and screaming warrentless wire taps?they’re not hyproctics are they?

    Report Post »  
  • Tryharder
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:17pm

    Two books to check out on Google: In the Plex How Google thinks, works, and shapes our lives by Steven Levy and Search and Destroy Why you can’t trust Google Inc. by Scott Cleland with Ira Brodsky. Once you read or listen to book on cd, you will be much more careful in using google as well as social media. The goal of Google’s founders was to collect all information in the world. Indeed quite scary. Cue the sci fi movie music.

    Report Post »  
  • christos
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:13pm

    ……What does Google actually stand for “government oversight online global logistics electronically” maybe kind of like how IBM helped Hitler catalog all the Jewish people Hmm–Creepy.

    Report Post » christos  
  • nkawtg
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:11pm

    Of course they did, and that‘s why I don’t do Google+

    Report Post » nkawtg  
    • jaxy
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:16pm

      All you have to do is create an email address with a fake name and the problem is solved I know many people with multiple fake names behind their Google + accounts.

      Report Post »  
  • This_Individual
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:08pm

    Yes.

    Report Post »  
  • Rightallalong
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:08pm

    Think about it … Google uses the millions of searches it gets everyday to create a ‘herd’ view of the population by region, by state and by country. For example, lets say in South Texas you are getting a lot of searches on illegal aliens and on guns. Our genius leaders at google and the government entities that they are so closely connected with can get a view that South Texas could be the first place to set up shop to control any possibility of violence when OBUMMER decides on a global amnesty if you can get across the boarder before Jan 1, 2012.

    Ok, a bit over the top maybe but the power of ‘herd’ analytic is VERY powerful in predicting and monitoring social thinking and movements. You don’t need to know info about specific people just groups of people.

    THIS NEW item is targeted at specific people – Big Brother is here and many of the Sheeple have invited him into the house via Facebook, Google+ and other such services.

    Good luck to you all …

    Report Post » Rightallalong  
  • flevan
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:05pm

    And now Microsoft is gathering the operational data of corporations on geo-redundant servers with Microsoft Office 365.

    Report Post »  
  • EqualJustice
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:01pm

    Is there really any way to AVOID government spying online? No, and this administration is the WORST, conspiring with servers. God help us.. seriously, from the dictator and his enablers.

    Report Post » EqualJustice  
  • TheCalvinistPastor
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:56am

    Deleting G+ Profile tonight :) Thank you Blaze

    Report Post » TheCalvinistPastor  
    • jaxy
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:17pm

      Do some research, all you need to do is sign up for gmail using a fake name and there you go, your google+ is under a fake name.

      Report Post »  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:56am

    I bet you never thought about “Google” in this way: The bottomless pit = Google.

    Report Post »  
  • DanWesson455
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:56am

    Probably, Everyone wants more information on who you are. What you do. What are your “leanings” in life. They wish to simply make you a target to everyone. Advertisers, Political types, government….on and on. they more they know, the more they can sell to others.

    Report Post » DanWesson455  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:54am

    Because the owners and controllers of Google are evil, that’s why.

    Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:10pm

      yes do no harm my ass /… always look for the opposite
      like tower 7 wears tin foil.
      or the Patriot act
      or the food safty bill
      or the anit war acts
      or the no more new taxes

      ……

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
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