Do you think Google's decision to link Google+ account IDs with Play comments is a good one?
I'm down with encouraging a modicum of civility on the internet. Totally. And there are quite a few post in the comments of Google Play that I would consider inappropriate for public discourse. Google's answer is to link users Google+ with Google Play, so that comments show their user identity and photo. I'm a little conflicted on this. While I support civility, I don't necessarily want my identity publicly linked directly with apps that I use, and it makes me less likely to comment. At the same time, what else can Google do to encourage people to act like decent human beings? I just don't like the feeling that there is a constant chipping away at my privacy and relative anonymity. How do other people feel about this? Did Google make the right call?
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I'm also conflicted. Basically it comes down to what you value more -- civility or privacy. I value both, but I rank privacy higher. You can choose not to enter areas of the Internet where bad behavior rules -- or at least try to avoid them as best you can -- but it's hard to un-ring the privacy bell. Once your privacy is exposed, it's hard to regain it.
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I'm ok with it. It may be another little chip away at online privacy, but you don't have to post a review. I'm as foul mouthed as the next guy in the proper context, maybe more so, but user reviews aren't the place for abusive, profane speech. If it helps raise the level of discourse even a little I think it is a good thing overall. And let's face it, seeing "Jane Smith" and her cat avatar doesn't mean anything to me - not that I have anything against cat avatars! :-) It's like looking in a phone book, all those names are just names unless I know them.