It really shouldn't come as a surprise - Android is a patent minefield and Google doesn't offer any guarantee. Companies should go with something tested like Windows Phone 8.
The Google patent in question covers a particular method of managing multiple personas. I, for example, could have a persona of "Sarten-X", which I could use for my programming and other online dealings, and "John Smith", which I use for my professional and audio work. When someone interacts with me on a social network, they can pick which profile they're interacting with.
Yeah, multiple usernames. Now that's not obvious at all! Hell, even schizophrenia predates it!
That method is clearly obvious. All it does it give the option to use pseudonym instead of your real name, for example with a dropdown list before you submit post. This means Facebook is not allowed to offer same kind of anonymity for users, nor is any other social network.
As noted on Slashdot, it's a patent for using anonymity online much like you can already. The problem here is that since Google has been awarded this patent, then other companies like Facebook or any other website CANNOT offer anonymity! This is a perfect example of a very dangerous patent and who else patented it than Google, the champion for losing anonymity on the internet.
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It really shouldn't come as a surprise - Android is a patent minefield and Google doesn't offer any guarantee. Companies should go with something tested like Windows Phone 8.
The Google patent in question covers a particular method of managing multiple personas. I, for example, could have a persona of "Sarten-X", which I could use for my programming and other online dealings, and "John Smith", which I use for my professional and audio work. When someone interacts with me on a social network, they can pick which profile they're interacting with.
Yeah, multiple usernames. Now that's not obvious at all! Hell, even schizophrenia predates it!
That method is clearly obvious. All it does it give the option to use pseudonym instead of your real name, for example with a dropdown list before you submit post. This means Facebook is not allowed to offer same kind of anonymity for users, nor is any other social network.
Here's first such patent registered by Google: Patent #8,271,894
As noted on Slashdot, it's a patent for using anonymity online much like you can already. The problem here is that since Google has been awarded this patent, then other companies like Facebook or any other website CANNOT offer anonymity! This is a perfect example of a very dangerous patent and who else patented it than Google, the champion for losing anonymity on the internet.