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Google Play Is Now No Country for Anonymous Reviewers

If you prefer to hide behind the veil of anonymity when posting reviews, Google Play is probably not the place for you anymore. In a move that will pretty much wipe Google Play of nameless, faceless f...
Google Play Is Now No Country for Anonymous Reviewers
Written by Josh Wolford
  • If you prefer to hide behind the veil of anonymity when posting reviews, Google Play is probably not the place for you anymore. In a move that will pretty much wipe Google Play of nameless, faceless feedback, Google is now forcing reviewers to log in in order to post.

    When users post a review for an app, movie, album, or any other item available in the store, their Google+ profile will be attached to the comment – that means their names and photos.

    Google pushing conspicuousness when it comes to their products shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Google’s real name policy on Google+ comes to mind. Plus, they’ve been suggesting that users use their Google profiles to comment on YouTube videos. That requirement has just recently rolled out to users.

    Now, when a logged-in user attempts to leave a review, a message pops up notifying them that “from now one, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture.” It says that they are now “reviews powered by Google.”

    Any reviews you made before this change will appear under the generic name “A Google user.”

    And if you’re not signed-in to your Google profile, it simply won’t let you write a review:

    Google is clearly pushing accountability here, and attempting to improve the quality of Google Play reviews by forcing people out from behind the curtains. With this move, it’s pretty hard to stay anonymous while leaving a comment – at least a pain in the ass if nothing else. I guess users could make fake Google profiles in order to anonymously review stuff, but Google’s (rightly) assuming that most users will just log in.

    Google weaving Google+ into more Google products. Who woulda thunk it?

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