real names
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China now requires face scans to sign up for phone service
China is as determined as ever to link real identities to the digital world. As of December 1st, anyone signing up for a new cellphone or cellular data contract is required to not only show their national ID card, but submit to a face scan to verify that identity. It's ostensibly meant to reduce fraud, but it also reduces your ability to use phone services in an anonymous way -- it'll be that much easier for the Chinese government to silence dissenters.
Native Americans still battling Facebook over 'real name' policy
Despite policy changes following its dispute with drag queens, Facebook is still banning individuals who run afoul of its "real name" policy. It recently suspended Native American Dana Lone Hill and wouldn't reinstate her even after she provided the requested ID. It was only after the media got wind of it that she was restored, prompting her to write "Katy Perry's Left Shark... has a Facebook page and we have to prove who we are." The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) wrote in response that "no one should have to rely on media attention to get Facebook to deal with its broken name policy."
Facebook apologizes for spurning drag queens, might do something about it
Facebook's real name policy has caused quite a stir recently, especially among the drag queen community. Several performers found themselves on the receiving end of merciless deletion because they used their stage names, rather than their legal names for their profiles. When those accounts were reported as fake (apparently by a single individual with a vendetta against drag queens) they got swept up into Facebook's system and removed along with the bullies, impersonators and trolls. Now the company's chief product officer, Chris Cox, has issued an apology, though one that makes it clear the policy will not be changing.
Xbox One June update adds external storage support, real names, auto sign-in
The Xbox One's June update is headlined by external storage support, allowing users to connect up to two 256GB or larger USB 3.0 external drives to the system. The upcoming update also adds automatic sign-ins upon booting the system and the option to display your real name to select friends. Across the borders, Canada and Europe can look forward to finally receiving access to OneGuide and its live TV features. On external storage support, Microsoft says Xbox One owners can choose which of their drives, including the internal 500GB drive, is the default location for new game installs and so on. Microsoft also notes players can install games to an external drive, plug that drive to another Xbox One, and sign in or insert a disc to start playing there. As for displaying your real name to friends, this differs slightly to the implementation on PS4. On Xbox One you can select which - none, some, or all - of your friends can see your real name. You can extend that to include friends of those friends, but followers who aren't your friends will only be able to see your gamertag.
China wants microbloggers to register with the government, hand over real identity
Thought that Facebook's and Google+'s requirements that you use your real name were draconian? Just be thankful you're not a weibo addict in China. The government is planning to expand a program that demands users register their real names and disclose their identity. Wang Chen, China's top internet regulation official, said the eventual goal would be to get all 250 million microbloggers registered, starting first with any new users signing up. The obvious privacy and free speech issues that could arise from such a move shouldn't need to be explained -- especially considering the country's track record of censorship and politically motivated arrests. Sadly, unlike SOPA, putting an end to this troubling law isn't as simple as putting up a black banner or emailing your congressman.
Game Center terms of service updated, real names shared on invitation
Apple has quietly tweaked the Game Center terms of service to add in the rule that whenever you first invite a friend to join your friends list in the gaming social network app, your real first and last names (as entered in your iTunes account) are shown to them. You still use a nickname as a full ID (and Game Center will still show your nickname when you log in to browse achievements or see what people are playing), but when you first "friend" someone, they get to see your real name. Apple has been able to get away with this one somehow -- the iTunes-based Ping social network also makes liberal use of the real name associated with an Apple account when adding friends, but for some reason nobody has made too much of a fuss about it. Consider Apple lucky -- when Blizzard Entertainment tried to require real names to be shared on their World of Warcraft forums, their community raised such a clamor that they had to back down and keep the forums anonymous. But Apple hasn't had that problem, either because the audiences are different, or just because people don't care so much about anonymity among their Game Center or Ping friends. We'll have to see how the community responds to a change like this.
