Earlier this year, Blizzard attempted to introduce a "real ID" system, whereby users on the company's forums would have their real names shown. It, uh, didn't go down very well. So why has Apple now done exactly the same thing?
It may not have done it in quite so public a fashion as Blizzard, but the end result is the same: starting from now, anyone using Apple's Game Center will have their full, real name shown whenever a friend request (or reply) is sent.
While this is the only place your real name will be displayed — everywhere else you'll just see a user's nickname — once is all you need to tip your full and proper identity off. Apple says it's because the Game Centre's new terms of service state that users must not "pretend to be anyone, or any entity, [they] are not."
This should be a big deal for privacy advocates, and probably would be...if anyone actually used Game Center. I've used it twice: once to try it out, and a second time to see how I could delete it.
Apple's Game Center Now Reveals Real Names For Friend Requests [FingerGaming]