How to verify the real name of a commit author?

[Paul Menzel]

Dear coreboot folks,

change set #10208 [1] is currently blocked as there are doubts if that
is the real name.
> Signed-off-by: Pi Van Den Cirkel

The development guidelines of coreboot contain the following sentence
[2].
> You have to use your real name in the Signed-off-by line and in any
> copyright notices you add.

Is that just so that Gerrit works or does that have different reasons?
The identities of the authors of other commits were never verified.

So in dubio pro reo and we assume that is the correct name?

Thanks,

Paul

[1] http://review.coreboot.org/10208
[2] http://www.coreboot.org/Development_Guidelines#Sign-off_Procedure