* 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.”
The larger the company the more they roll over and give up on new initiatives. There are a lot of things Google plus could have done, such as when searching on Google save the link publicly to Google plus similar to how Youtube works for videos. At least it is easier if you have a startup and someone says what if Google comes into your space... you can point to all the times Google gives up just because things need more innovation. Google wants to hit a home run every time up to the plate and they forget you have to play in the Minor Leagues and prove you are worth moving up.
Ignoring for a moment that most of those 500K users had probably forgotten they even had accounts, what strikes me as particularly shameful is that Google decided against informing anyone back in March when they discovered the bug.
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.
[+] [-] arkitaip|7 years ago|reply
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.”
[+] [-] thanatos_dem|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wonderwonder|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] theDoug|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gscott|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jfk13|7 years ago|reply
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.
[+] [-] jwilk|7 years ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18169243
[+] [-] ydnaclementine|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CyberBoom|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vijay_n|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] circa|7 years ago|reply