Google+ users grapple with ID verification issues

Google+ has run into identity verification issues in its efforts to ensure users sign up for the service using their real names, according to CNET. In its attempt to build a service devoid of pseudonyms, anonymous posts and impersonation, Google has sparked ire among communities that prefer to be recognized by avatar names - such as users of the virtual world Second Life. In a recent letter to Google, Second Lifer William Burns protested Google's suspension of Second Life user Opensource Obscure as well as other users. "Avatar profiles as a main profile should be allowed under pseudonymous auspices, with a clear option to denote that such a profile is a pseudonym associated with a virtual environment or game," wrote Burns, as quoted by the news source. Additionally, users with unusual real names were also flagged. However, some users appear to have been able to circumvent Google+'s identity authentication measures. According to the news source, there were five users going by the name of Lady GaGa at the time of writing. According to some estimates, Google+ attracted approximately 10 million users in its first week, Mashable reports.