Civic Nerdom

Added a couple of posts over at FriendlyToS.

Headlines of the Week

A number of activists have voiced their concern over the terms of Google Plus that require users to supply their real names. In particular, the policy has been criticized as inconsistent and favoring the famous (since celebrities have been able to use their stage names), disrespecting of those who choose an identity of their own, and inconsiderate of those who need to hide their identity for their own safety. In the face of these criticisms, Google has announced that in the future, Google Plus users will be able to use pseudonyms on their profiles.

Check out the full post at FriendlyToS.

Government and Your Data

The law allows government agencies to access data about you. Your consent to website terms allows government agencies to access data about you. This is not a comment on the state of citizen rights, nor is it an Orwellian critique of government surveillance. This is simply a reminder that if you put information online, or make use of Internet services, the possibility exists that the government can access that information for some compelling reason.

Head to FriendlyToS for the whole post.