Shatner Google+ account restored after takedown
The celebrity tweeted about his account being taken down, but it appears to be back up just hours after that message was sent.
William Shatner's Google+ account was temporarily disabled today, the "Star Trek" star announced on his Twitter account early this morning.
"My Google+ account was flagged for violating standards," Shatner tweeted on his official Twitter account. "Saying hello to everyone apparently is against the rules. Maybe I should say goodbye?"
Earlier this morning, CNET confirmed that Shatner's official Google+ account was, in fact, down. However, at last check, the account appears to be back up. The celebrity's "About," "Posts," and "Videos" have no content, but there is a single photo of him on the site.
Shatner didn't say why his account might have been taken down, but it could have something to do with Google's stringent user policies. As CNET's Stephen Shankland reported last week, Google+ has a no-nonsense policy when it comes to user identities. Rather than allow folks to employ a username or create an account under a pseudonym, Google requires that all profiles have real-world names.
"Google Profiles is a product that works best in the identified state. This way you can be certain you're connecting with the right person, and others will have confidence knowing that there is someone real behind the profile they're checking out," Google writes in the help files for Google+. "For this reason, Google Profiles requires you to use the name that you commonly go by in daily life."
Rowan Thunder's account was recently a victim of that policy. Thunder was notified by Google that the account was suspended because it didn't include a real name. However, after realizing that the name is used with family and friends, Google reinstated the account last week.
"As of 1900h PST, 11 July, my account has been reinstated, and I did receive an apology in regards to the incorrect decision made about my profile," Thunder wrote at the time.
Google hasn't just taken aim at individuals. The company has also removed Web hacktivist group Anonymous from Google+, according to a Tumblr post by Anon News. Following the ban, Google informed Anon News that the profile "violates our Community Standards."
Even so, Anonymous has a plan: its own social network. Dubbed AnonPlus, the social network will be a place "where there is no fear of censorship, of blackout, nor of holding back." The group said that the social network will be "for all people, not just Anonymous."
Google did not immediately respond to request for comment on why it temporarily shutdown Shatner's account.