The forced integration between Google's social service and its video site YouTube continues to spark dismay amongst users

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A Change.org petition to end the integration of Google+ and YouTube has received over 180,000 signatures, as users revolt Google’s decision.

The petition, posted on 7 November, received almost 50,000 signatures in its first day, and looks set to achieve its goal of 200,000 petitioners.

“Google is forcing us to make Google+ accounts and invading our social life to comment on a YouTube video and trying to take away our anonymous profile,” writes the petition’s anonymous creator. “They are also trying to censor us unless we share the same worldview as they do.”

The 180,000 signatories have some high-profile supporters, including Jawed Karim, one of the co-founders of YouTube. Karim askedP: “Why the fuck do I need a Google+ account to comment on a video?” before changing his avatar to read, simply, “Google+ SUCKS”.

Google’s stated aim in rehauling YouTube comments was to sanitise a site famous for having some of the most abusive comments on the internet, as well as enable a more personalised discussion on the site.

“You’ll see posts at the top of the list from the video’s creator, popular personalities, engaged discussions about the video, and people in your Google+ Circles”, the company explained in a blogpost.

But many suspect that the company’s actual aim is to boost adoption of its social network.

Google doesn’t share details about take-up of Google+, but it does give information about vaguely defined “activity” on the site. Before the YouTube integration, it cited 540 million users who take “some sort” of activity each month.

Now that the users of that site have been added in, the number is likely to increase enormously – but that still says very little about actual users of Google+.

• Why is YouTube's comment system causing such anger?