Google responds to Google+ data privacy breach by shutting it down

The product designed by Google to take on Facebook appears to have suffered from a similar flaw in the way it allowed developers to access user data.

According to a report from the WSJ, a software glitch in Google’s social networking platform – Google+ – gave developers access to private user data between 2015 and 2018. On the surface this looks similar to the Cambridge Analytica scandal that caused Facebook so much trouble earlier this year.

In this case Google identified the glitch internally and, having resolved it, concluded the security vulnerability hadn’t been exploited. Because of this Google didn’t see any need to disclose it and that’s one of the most contentious aspects of this story, especially since it’s alleged that Google was reluctant to do so for fear of reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny.

In a blog post Google VP of Engineering Ben Smith revealed they started Project Strobe at the start of this year, which seems to have been designed, at least in part, to look into this glitch. Somewhat side-stepping the issue Smith found ‘There are significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ product that meets consumers’ expectations.’ And as a result they’re shutting it down.

This is a tad disingenuous since Google+ looked dead in the water soon after its 2011 launch and it seems likely that Google only kept it going to avoid the embarrassment of openly admitting it’s rubbish at social networking. The post did eventually get to the specifics of the glitch, stating the following:

The last bullet is critical and Google seems to be counting on that for mitigation, to pre-empt the kind of outcry and subsequent regulatory torture faced by Facebook. As you can see from the tweet below, this position seems to be receiving some sympathy and it looks like some people actually still use it. At time of writing we have seen no reports of further adverse consequences for Google.