Google Accelerating Closure of Google+ Due to API Bug, Will Now End in April 2019

[MacRumors]

Google today announced that it is expediting the closure of its Google+ social platform, which was previously set to end in August 2019 and will now be shut down in April 2019.

The company explained that it's doing this because of a discovery that 52.5 million users were impacted by a software update in November that contained a bug affecting Google+ API.

The bug appears to be connected to a certain Google+ API that let apps view information that users added to their profile, even if the user had set this data as private.

This included their name, email address, occupation, age, and more, but not financial data, passwords, or national identification numbers.

While Google discovered and addressed the bug within a week, and promises no third party compromised its systems, it has decided to hasten the closure of the consumer version of Google+ and all Google+ APIs. Ahead of the April 2019 sunsetting of the platform, the network's APIs will be shut down within 90 days from today.

Google explained what it knows about the bug:

- We have confirmed that the bug impacted approximately 52.5 million users in connection with a Google+ API.
- With respect to this API, apps that requested permission to view profile information that a user had added to their Google+ profile--like their name, email address, occupation, age (full list here)--were granted permission to view profile information about that user even when set to not-public.
- In addition, apps with access to a user's Google+ profile data also had access to the profile data that had been shared with the consenting user by another Google+ user but that was not shared publicly.
- The bug did not give developers access to information such as financial data, national identification numbers, passwords, or similar data typically used for fraud or identity theft.
- No third party compromised our systems, and we have no evidence that the developers who inadvertently had this access for six days were aware of it or misused it in any way.

Google says that ahead of the closure of the consumer Google+, in the coming months it will provide users with additional information on how to safely and securely download and migrate their data off of the platform. In the end, Google also reiterated on its original reasoning behind the sunsetting of Google+, which is because of "the significant challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers' expectations, as well as the platform's low usage."

The pushed up end date for Google+ comes just under a week after the company announced the closure of Google Allo, which will see many of its features migrated to the main Google Messages app on Android.

Article Link: Google Accelerating Closure of Google+ Due to API Bug, Will Now End in April 2019

 

[deadoctopi]

Not sure this warranted an entire article, the headline alone was sufficient info for the seven people who still log into it.

 

[Mike MA]

Every closure of a Google service is a good service.

 

[jonblatho]

Remember the good old days, when people were wailing about why Apple wasn't getting into social media?

This stuff is a good reason why. Can't have a data breach incident if you don't have the data in the first place.

 

[technole]

Remember the good old days, when people were wailing about why Apple wasn't getting into social media?

This stuff is a good reason why. Can't have a data breach incident if you don't have the data in the first place.

Oh they have social media, it is called iMessage and they have everything you send in data centers.

 

[jonblatho]

Oh they have social media, it is called iMessage and they have everything you send in data centers.

I mean, yeah, but end-to-end encrypted messages are pretty useless

 

[bladerunner2000]

Remember the good old days, when people were wailing about why Apple wasn't getting into social media?

No. I don't remember anyone wanting Apple to create a social media platform. Can you post a source to your claim?

 

[4jasontv]

Remember the good old days, when people were wailing about why Apple wasn't getting into social media?

This stuff is a good reason why. Can't have a data breach incident if you don't have the data in the first place.

PING! /s

 

[imola.zhp]

I'll set a reminder for late March to log in and catch up on 3-4 years worth of missed activity. It probably wont take me 5 minutes.
[doublepost=1544470532][/doublepost]

Oh they have social media, it is called iMessage and they have everything you send in data centers.

Touche

 

[jonblatho]

No. I don't remember anyone wanting Apple to create a social media platform. Can you post a source to your claim?

Yes, I found one with an easy search and I'm sure I could find more, but I also skipped any articles that seemed to focus explicitly on iTunes Ping, and that probably excludes a good number of takes from the time on how Apple should really do social media.

Why Apple Needs a Real Social Network (from 2011; argues that Facebook poses an existential threat to Apple's business model)

 

[macduke]

And yet Google is still somehow the golden boy of the tech industry who can do no wrong—never mind their complete disregard for consumer privacy and security, the many services they shutter all the time, the many problems they've had with companies they have acquired such as Nest and Motorola, and their role in helping to spread misinformation—somewhat in searches, but mainly in advertisements.

 

[btrach144]

Honest question... If they shut it down today, would it really impact anything? Not aware of anything that actually uses this service.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

And yet Google is still somehow the golden boy of the tech industry who can do no wrong—never mind their complete disregard for consumer privacy and security, the many services they shutter all the time, the many problems they've had with companies they have acquired such as Nest and Motorola, and their role in helping to spread misinformation—somewhat in searches, but mainly in advertisements.

You might be overstating Google's popularity... I know plenty of people who don't trust them. I don't trust them.

I'd imagine that anyone who uses DuckDuckGo and/or Firefox is doing it because they explicitly do not trust Google.

 

[sshambles]

Google + was (is) still active?

 

[justperry]

Shutter the whole Google/Alphabet company, that's my wish, along with Facebook.

 

[macduke]

You might be overstating Google's popularity... I know plenty of people who don't trust them. I don't trust them.

I'd imagine that anyone who uses DuckDuckGo and/or Firefox is doing it because they explicitly do not trust Google.

Yeah I've switched to using DuckDuckGo for 95% of my searches. It's not perfect but better than it was when I first tried it years ago and if I have trouble finding something then I relent and use Google. But Google is by far the leader in search and many companies and schools rely on Google Docs for everything. So many kids are being brought up on Google and just used to not having privacy. Eventually it will only be us oldies resisting in the future and by then they will just ignore us because our demographic doesn't matter. I'm around a lot of college kids and interns at my work and many of them don't get my hangups with privacy because they have zero expectation of privacy. They were born into the like share post subscribe retweet story blog vlog. I'm in my early 30s and although I was heavily into these systems early on, I also remember a time before that quite well. They completely lack perspective and they are the ones building the future of tech now.

 

[corebeliefs]

Remember when we thought Google was smart?

 

[brenton289]

No. I don't remember anyone wanting Apple to create a social media platform. Can you post a source to your claim?

iTunes Ping. Google it.

 

[Shiro_Simba]

Every closure of a Google service is a good service.

Yeah, competition is awful for the end user .
[doublepost=1544489683][/doublepost]

iTunes Ping. Google it.

Wrong - none wanted Apple to create that crap it was Apple who thought that idea was a good one
[doublepost=1544489762][/doublepost]

Yes, I found one with an easy search and I'm sure I could find more, but I also skipped any articles that seemed to focus explicitly on iTunes Ping, and that probably excludes a good number of takes from the time on how Apple should really do social media.

Why Apple Needs a Real Social Network (from 2011; argues that Facebook poses an existential threat to Apple's business model)

Did Apple users ask for Ping ? The statement holds that no one wanted Apple to create Ping. No ?
[doublepost=1544489826][/doublepost]

Remember when we thought Google was smart?

Yeah - about the same period Apple products were good value for money . How far both have fallen

 

[Pakaku]

While Google discovered and addressed the bug within a week, and promises no third party compromised its systems, it has decided to hasten the closure of the consumer version of Google+ and all Google+ APIs.

The sad thing is I could easily imagine Google just shutting down an entire service over finding a bug and deciding they'd rather not bother to fix it

 

[31 Flavas]

Oh they have social media, it is called iMessage and they have everything you send in data centers.

iMessage is end to end encrypted - if Apple had access to or was storing your iMessages the police would have subpoena power and we wouldn't have things like the San Bernardino iPhone access case. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so.

 

[Fattytail]

Remember when we thought Google was smart?

They ARE. Part of the intelligence is having the gall to release lots of different products.
It can be frustrating for consumers, but the end result is gems like Gmail.

 

[logicstudiouser]

Who will miss this?


****SPOILER ALERT****

No one.

 

[pika2000]

This is why all the Google apps pre-installed on Android phones are bloatware, considering many of them might be discontinued, thus taking up space on your phone for nothing. Google+ was pre-installed on many Android phones and cannot be removed (only disabled).

 

[corebeliefs]

They ARE. Part of the intelligence is having the gall to release lots of different products.
It can be frustrating for consumers, but the end result is gems like Gmail.

Name one thing that Google is doing with excellence. (Considering Gmail is ancient history.)