Digital Week in Review: Google+: Eric Schmidt wants your real name or nothing at all

Google+: Eric Schmidt wants your real name or nothing at all; ZDNet
Google’s former CEO says that if you don’t like their policy about having to use your real name to represent you on Google+, then maybe their social network is not for you.
The Takeaway: If none of the above sounds ok with you, don’t sign up for Facebook, Google+, or any other social network or community. Plain and simple. However, if you like the internet, you like Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, and being able to consume news and opinions from around the world, then sign up, be happy about it and make it a positive experience for yourself and those that are connected to you.

Behind Google’s $500 Million Settlement With U.S.; The New York Times
The Justice Department’s settlement of a criminal investigation of Google for allowing Canadian pharmacies to advertise drugs for distribution in the United States reflected an effort by prosecutors to extend the reach of federal drug laws. This may present future challenges to Internet search companies over their advertisements.
The Takeaway: The Internet allows messages to be better focused on particular groups of potential customers. With that ability comes the growing possibility that the Justice Department will view search engines as more than mere passive conduits of information, and instead as potentially active participants in conduct that may violate the law.

Twitter hires Hill, FCC veteran Crowell to head global policy; The Washington Post
Twitter on Monday named Capitol Hill and FCC veteran Colin Crowell as its head of global public policy, expanding its presence in Washington, D.C., as social media firms fall in the crosshairs of debates over global speech rights and online privacy.
The Takeaway: Twitter’s expansion in Washington comes as the firm grapples with greater attention by the Obama administration’s advocacy of free expression in repressive regimes. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has touted the role of Twitter and Facebook as outlets for democracy protestors in Egypt and other regimes to organize and protest against their governments.

Apple Locks in New CEO Tim Cook Through 2021; International Business Times
Apple’s board of directors has moved to lock in new CEO Tim Cook through mid-2021 by awarding him one million shares of company stock. Cook is replacing longtime co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who announced his retirement last week.
The Takeaway: He’s not Steve Jobs, true. Still, Apple needs a leader, and Cook has been given the charge and the company has now placed him on a restricted stock plan rewarding him for service through mid-2021, if he’s still on the job.