YouTube Coaxes Out Real Names To Combat Comment Cruelty

YouTube may be looking to encourage users to use their real identities and names when posting comments on videos in the future. According to Wired, whenever you upload a new video or post a comment, YouTube will ask if it can use your real identity that has been associated with your Google+ account. Users can opt out of using their real names, although YouTube will then ask why they declined.

In addition, YouTube will offer up past comments for review to make sure you want them associated with your real name. The company is reportedly trying to clean up its image for potential advertisers and filmmakers, as some videos invite walls of negative comments. If Google's insistence on using your real name bothers you, then there's always the opt-out option, and the company says the feature is restricted to the United States for now.

Still, it will be rolling out internationally in the near future. It marks the fast expanding single identity and tight integration that Google is rolling out across all its services, spearheaded by Google+. Some have been vocal about the changes, but that hasn't stopped 250 million users from registering with the service, with around 150 million accessing Google+ every day.