Google is buzzing with excitement as it launched its new Twitter copycat social network, Google Buzz a couple of days ago. However, it’s causing a sting for many journalists who aren’t happy with its privacy policy. Google Buzz, similar to other networks, enables users to update their status and keep contacts up to date with what they are doing.
As Google are ever on the pulse of its search engine marketing, it has added another feature. Buzz is designed to be integrated into the search engine’s existing products, including its Gmail service, being compatible for desktop and mobile devices. The problem Buzz is facing, are many complaints about how the social network works to update the friend list, making your list of friends public. Buzz automatically follows other users whom you frequently contact through Google’s other services like Gmail and Google Talk, which are also made public through Buzz.
Many people wish the social network would now Buzz off, pardon the pun. Journalists are concerned as they use Gmail or Google Talk to communicate with confidential sources, but with common contacts automatically becoming made public, their information is being jeopardised.
Although Buzz does hold an opt-in service and users choose to join it, with a disclaimer which states that they will be creating a public profile with their name and photo. However, it doesn’t say that Google will publicise anyone’s contacts.
Google has responded to the complaints saying: “The lists of people they follow and people following them will be displayed on their profile, which is linked to from the create a public profile dialogue when Buzz is activated for the first time. This makes it possible to hide the lists of people being followed and people following them from users’ profiles.”
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