Google+ shutting down after users' data is exposed
bbc.co.uk
bbc.co.uk
Key takeaways:
* A security bug allowed third-party developers to access Google+ user profile data since 2015 until Google discovered and patched it in March, but decided not to inform the world.
* The company decided against informing the public because it would lead to “us coming into the spotlight alongside or even instead of Facebook despite having stayed under the radar throughout the Cambridge Analytica scandal” according to an internal memo.
* Google+ will cease all its consumer services while winding down over the next 10-months with an opportunity for users to export their data while Google refocuses on making G+ an enterprise product.
* The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement: 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds.”
If they couldn't tell exactly who was affected, or whether any data had in fact been improperly accessed, shouldn't they at least have notified users of the possibility their private data might have been leaked?
Oh, but that might have drawn "regulatory interest".... much better to sweep it under the carpet and hope nobody notices.