I have read this carefully, can hardly wait for the 'shared endorsements opt out page' to go live.
Users are opted in to Google's new scheme by default. In the past, Google gave itself permission to use users’ +1s alongside advertisements unless the user specifically opted out. The new “shared endorsements” are an extension of that setting, wherein Google gives itself permission to take even more of a user’s content and place it alongside ads
...which is why I don't have a Google account. Or a Facebook account. Or a Twitter account. Or just about any other account. The less they know about me, the better I like it. If you trust your privacy to these mega-corporations, you will find out that your privacy is very low on their list of priorities, regardless of whatever they publish in their privacy statements.. The priority they all have in common, the one above all else, is making money. Period.
That being said, I hold two google accounts: One for my android / google services, and a separate one with just gmail on it (created long before the mandatory g+ profile). I don't +1 things though, so I don't really see this effecting me.
Oh, I missed that the setting was linked in hazelnut's article already. I also don't + and my avatars are never a picure of me so I don't think they'll be able to use me.