For now, the feature is intended to help users recognize the official accounts of public figures Google is adding badges that certify the identity of users of its Google+ social networking site, starting with public figures and with people who have been added by many as contacts.Later on, the verification badges will be available to a bigger scope of users who aren’t famous or broadly popular on the site, Google official Wen-Ai Yu [cq] said in a Google+ post.For now the main goal is to inform users which is the official profile of a singer, actor, politician, public figure or popular Google+ account holder they may want to add to their Google+ Circles to follow their public posts.“When you visit the profile of a celebrity or public figure, youll see a verification badge next to their profile name. This will help you easily determine which profiles are owned by real, verified people,” she wrote. Verified Google+ accounts will feature a gray checkmark inside a lighter-gray circle next to the person’s profile name. It’s not clear from Yu’s post how many “followers” a Google+ user needs to have to qualify as someone whose account merits having a verification badge.Other social media sites feature verified accounts, including Twitter, which is used by many public figures to communicate with their fans. Google is pushing a policy for its users to identify themselves with their real names on Google+, a principle that has worked well for Facebook, helping it create and foster a more trustworthy environment than exists on other social sites where people use pseudonyms. Facebook’s real-name environment is credited as one of the main reasons why it dethroned MySpace as the world’s most popular social networking site.However, Google faced criticism a few weeks ago when it started aggressively enforcing the real-names policy by deleting many accounts it determined to be in non-compliance.In response to the complaints, Google said it would modify its notification process to potentially non-compliant users by giving them a chance to fix the violations and appeal instead of deleting their profiles first.Still, some people argue that Google should reconsider the real-names policy, saying that in some cases it’s justified for people to use pseudonyms to protect their privacy and security, as in the case of political dissidents and victims of spousal abuse.Google+, launched in late June, has an estimated 25 million [m] account holders, but it is still in limited beta. To join Google+, people have to receive an invitation from Google or from an existing member. Related content brandpost How an integrated platform approach improves OT security By Richard Springer Sep 26, 2023 5 mins Security news Teachers urged to enter schoolgirls into UK’s flagship cybersecurity contest CyberFirst Girls aims to introduce girls to cybersecurity, increase diversity, and address the much-maligned skills shortage in the sector. By Michael Hill Sep 26, 2023 4 mins Back to School Education Industry IT Training news CREST, IASME to deliver UK NCSC’s Cyber Incident Exercising scheme CIE scheme aims to help organisations find quality service providers that can advise and support them in practising cyber incident response plans. By Michael Hill Sep 26, 2023 3 mins IT Governance Frameworks Incident Response Data and Information Security news Baffle releases encryption solution to secure data for generative AI Solution uses the advanced encryption standard algorithm to encrypt sensitive data throughout the generative AI pipeline. By Michael Hill Sep 26, 2023 3 mins Encryption Generative AI Data and Information Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe