[conspire] Google Play store says "From now on, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture. ..."

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Tony Godshall (togo at of.net):

> Posted this to Google +.  Curious what people on this list have to say
> as well...
> 
> Nexus 10 just updated, and when I went to Google Play Store, it said
> "From now on, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your
> Google+ name and picture. ..."
> 
> I dukgo'd for it and found coverage of this issue from Android Police
> 9 days ago (attached).

You seem to have omitted the attachment, but, being the curious fellow I
am, I looked around and can provide the direct URL:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/19/apk-teardown-coming-to-a-play-store-near-you-app-reviews-will-require-a-g-profile-pre-order-support-and-more/

Not intending to advocate for a personal prejudice, just to explain:  
I've personally had no use whatsoever for online 'stores' for
applications, etc.  (Mileage Differs[tm].)  I infer that 'Play Store' 
aka 'Google Play' aka 'Google Play Store' is a online Web-based store
(https://play.google.com/) for purchasing music files, gift cards, and
Android applications.

Purchasing anything requires signing in using a Google account.

According to
https://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1141080
, before you're permitted to purchase Android apps, you have to pair a
'supported' Android device that is registed to Google under the same
login, and using a Google account that has been migrated to the new
Google Apps infrastructure, _and_ you must have a propietary application
called Google Pay Store preinstalled by your device's manufacturer onto
your Android device (that application being available only under licence
by Google, Inc. to Android-device OEMs).

Oh, and nice!  Not just any Google account.  It has to be one that's
tied to a GMail or Google-hosted e-mail account
(https://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/answer.py?hl=en&topic=2450444&answer=2521798),
or you're not OK.  And that account must be set up to work with Google
Wallet.

And your Android device requires direct Wifi or mobile-telephone packet
Internet service with connectivity directly to Google Pay over TCP and
UDP ports 5228.  Because God forbid that you were permitted to control
the process yourself and determine what's permitted to occur between a
grasping privacy-invading company and your personal computing device.


So many derisive comments, so little time.  Do I really need to start
listing the reasons why none of this is in any sane user's interest?



> I think people will switch to reviewing only apps they like from now
> on, and withdrawing reviews rather than changing them when they
> encounter problems.  And I'll be able to trust the reviews a lot less,
> since anyone saying anything has potential fear of retaliation.
> 
> New thought (new to me): Is Google pushing a "war on negativity"?
> There's a +1 and not a -1 in G+, after all.  Are we being not so
> subtly brainwashed into thinking everything is rosy in the
> googleverse?

If you're willingly serving as a Google product being sold to its
customers, complaining about the colour of the shelf you're displayed on
is sort of missing the larger picture.

My opinions, yours for a small fee and waiver of reverse-engineering
rights.


> Nexus 10 just updated

Cool, is it fully supported by CyanogenMod, yet?  Oops, no.
http://www.cyanogenmod.org/devices

So, not yet usable with an acceptable operating system.
 
I am not willing to be stocked as Google, Inc. product.