Hacker News Reader

False. In the past, if your profile was suspended (for example, because of your name), it only affected your Google+ profile. Your Gmail still worked exactly the same.

Some people spread rumours in the early days of Google+ that your Gmail would be shut down if your Google+ was suspended, but that was never the case.

View on HN

I recall the suspension thing being the whole reason the name thing came to light, perhaps I am mistaken?

Edit: Seems you are correct:

> Horowitz also took time to dispel the rumor that a suspension of a Google+ account means that a user loses his or her access to Gmail, Google Docs or other Google services. "When an account is suspended for violating the Google+ common name standards, access to Gmail or other products that don’t require a Google+ profile are not removed," he said.

http://mashable.com/2011/07/25/google-plus-common-names/

Except there were a shitload of reports of it happening anyway.

I believe that in the early days, one or two people had their whole account shut down and went around complaining that it was because of Google+'s name policy when really it was because of something completely unrelated (distributing illegal content from their account, I think). The rumours spread from their, making it seem like it was happening to a lot of people, when it really never happened at all.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com