--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In January 2012, Google Plus started to…" description: "\"In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life one..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png" --- # In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support… ![“In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life one must be able to prove that they have been using that alternative name elsewhere, either on the Web or in real life.” quote by Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png) > “In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life one must be able to prove that they have been using that alternative name elsewhere, either on the Web or in real life.” [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Google required pseudonym users to verify prior usage elsewhere, aiming to curb anonymous abuse while preserving legitimate alternate identities. **In simple terms:** Verification of alternate names Key Takeaway Balancing anonymity and accountability Themes online identity privacy verification social media policy trust Mood cautious analytical Type policy statement observation When to use this quote - user registration - community moderation - brand protection Key Concepts pseudonym verification platform governance Practical Applications - designing identity policies - building trust mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - How does verification affect user trust? - What alternatives exist to prove identity without compromising privacy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Alternative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Either](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/either/) [Elsewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elsewhere/) [Google](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/google/) [Google Plus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/google-plus-422592/) [January](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/january/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [Nicknames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nicknames/) [Nicknames Pseudonyms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nicknames-pseudonyms-422591/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Plus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plus/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Pseudonyms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pseudonyms/) [Pseudonyms Registering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pseudonyms-registering-422590/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roll/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Support Nicknames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support-nicknames-422593/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Using](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using/) [Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web/) ## Related quotes > [I am so HAPPY THAT I AM LEAVING THIS SITE. I WILL BE ON GOOGLE PLUS FROM NOW ON(: I SURE WILL MISS EVERYONE:)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare/i-am-so-happy-that-i-am-leaving-this-site-i-will-be-on-google-plus/) [CLARE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare/) > [Sometimes I hop onto Google Plus just to have a bit of quiet time by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-hop-onto-google-plus-just-to-have-a-bit-of-quiet-time-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have over 2 million followers now on Google Plus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/i-have-over-2-million-followers-now-on-google-plus/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [What do Facebook, Twitter, Google plus and other social media sites have that you do not? You know what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boydapa3/what-do-facebook-twitter-google-plus-and-other-social-media-sites/) [Boydapa3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boydapa3/) > [When I signed up for Google Plus, my reaction after playing around with it for a little bit was like, 'Huh, I think Facebook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/when-i-signed-up-for-google-plus-my-reaction-after-playing-around/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Google Plus gives you the opportunity to be yourself, and gives Google that common understanding of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-horowitz/google-plus-gives-you-the-opportunity-to-be-yourself-and-gives-google/) [Bradley Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-horowitz/) > [When I signed up for Google Plus, it recommended 500 people for me to invite. You know, and once I invited those 500 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/when-i-signed-up-for-google-plus-it-recommended-500-people-for-me-to/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [I've been busy for years, buying land, often under pseudonyms, and planting trees on it. All the money is going into it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-ve-been-busy-for-years-buying-land-often-under-pseudonyms-and/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [And I can't think of a reason I'd ever use a pseudonym, as I wouldn't want to publish something that I didn't like enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/and-i-can-t-think-of-a-reason-i-d-ever-use-a-pseudonym-as-i-wouldn-t/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [When I started writing, I didn't have the common sense to use a pseudonym, so I write under my own name. If I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-cornick/when-i-started-writing-i-didn-t-have-the-common-sense-to-use-a/) [Nicola Cornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-cornick/) > [I sat day after day in my little room, waiting for inspiration to visit me, trying to invent a pseudonym that would express, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/i-sat-day-after-day-in-my-little-room-waiting-for-inspiration-to/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“We must confess these three strange names struck us; and it immediately occurred to us that they were but pseudonyms, under which d'Artagnan had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/we-must-confess-these-three-strange-names-struck-us-and-it/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [I chose a pseudonym, Chris Marker, pronounceable in most languages, because I was very intent on traveling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-marker/i-chose-a-pseudonym-chris-marker-pronounceable-in-most-languages/) [Chris Marker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-marker/) > [To answer oppression with appropriate resistance requires knowledge of two kinds: in the first place, self-knowledge by the victim, which means awareness that oppression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/to-answer-oppression-with-appropriate-resistance-requires-knowledge/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More by Rebecca MacKinnon > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [If high-tech companies are serious about doing the right thing, they can join together and lobby for more transparency and accountability in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-high-tech-companies-are-serious-about-doing-the-right-thing-they/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Every news organization needs a social media strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/every-news-organization-needs-a-social-media-strategy/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Professional camera crews are rarely there when a bomb goes off or a rocket lands. They usually show up afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/professional-camera-crews-are-rarely-there-when-a-bomb-goes-off-or-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Google's entire business model and its planning for the future are banking on an open and free Internet. And it will not succeed if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/google-s-entire-business-model-and-its-planning-for-the-future-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A number of countries, including Russia and China, have put forward proposals to regulate aspects of the Internet like 'crime' and 'security' that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-number-of-countries-including-russia-and-china-have-put-forward/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A moral argument about whether censorship is good or bad deteriorates quickly into accusations about who is more or less patriotic, moral, pious, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-moral-argument-about-whether-censorship-is-good-or-bad-deteriorates/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's a real contradiction that's difficult to explain to the West and the outside world about China and about the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/there-s-a-real-contradiction-that-s-difficult-to-explain-to-the-west/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The relationship between citizens and government is increasingly mediated through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-relationship-between-citizens-and-government-is-increasingly/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Consistently, Baidu has censored politically sensitive search results much more thoroughly than Google.cn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/consistently-baidu-has-censored-politically-sensitive-search-results/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Human rights in cyberspace are really no different from rights in the physical world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/human-rights-in-cyberspace-are-really-no-different-from-rights-in-the/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Digital power is every bit as likely to be abused as physical power, but is often more insidious because it is often wielded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/digital-power-is-every-bit-as-likely-to-be-abused-as-physical-power/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) [Explore all 206 Rebecca MacKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life one must be able to prove that they have been using that alternative name elsewhere, either on the Web or in real life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b03/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_able_in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-r_29625.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering…” — Rebecca MacKinnon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In January 2012, Google Plus started...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```