Recently, Google announced that Google+ will shut down. It came to light that Google+ had a
security breach. They had originally planned on staying quiet with this issue. Due to some recent
rules within California and Europe, they had to release the news.
The Breach
Google found the security breach in March. They stated that it had not seemed like anyone
had gained access to personal information. The company also said that no one’s personal emails,
phone calls or messages, or phone numbers had been breached or given to these third-party
applications. Google had not originally been too worried about the breach because of this.
After the information leaked, Google announced that they would shut down Google+ and that
they would improve their security. It was stated that possibly 438 third-party applications
had access to personal information. Google insists that there was no evidence these third-party
applications had known there was a bug within the system. The company is also updating their
User Data Policy for the consumer side of the email service. This will limit the access that third-
party applications have to Google. Privacy is a huge deal to consumers especially when it comes
to emails.
Why They Stayed Quiet
Another reason that Google decided to stay quiet was because of Facebook. Google+ was
Google’s response to Facebook and its popularity. In March, Facebook had come down under
extreme scrutiny. The reason? Facebook was cultivating personal information for Cambridge
Analytica. Google did not want the same PR scandal as Facebook had endured. They wanted to
keep the breach under wraps but alas they could not.
Shutting Down
Google is also only shutting down the consumer part of Google+. For the most part user
engagement and usage are insanely low. Around 90% of Google+ sessions lasted around 5
seconds. From the beginning, Google had a hard time getting real user engagement. Though they
will keep the service alive for enterprises that do actually use the service. This service will
likely not be the most missed of online services, but it is still a loss nonetheless. Shutting down
Google+ will take around 10 months and will be completed by next August.
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