The Latest 'Buzz'
We reported Googl’e launch of Buzz last week. Then within days after this launch, Google did a huge overhaul of its service after receiving an anormous amount of complaints about it’s privacy infringements.
Buzz allows users to share messages, web links, photos and videos with friends and colleagues directly within Gmail. Great, no? But when it launched it automatically linked users with other people they were discovered to have most contact with failing to take into consideration that many would resent being automaticaly followed by those they did not designate.
Responding to the angry mob of emails and Help Forum rants, Google has changed the system to an auto-suggest model. Google will also no longer automatically connect any public Picasa photo albums and Google Reader items.
On their official Google Blog , they wrote:
We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear, and since we launched Google Buzz four days ago, we’ve been working around the clock to address the concerns you’ve raised.You won’t be set up to follow anyone until you have reviewed the suggestions and clicked Follow selected people and start using Buzz.
Despite the changes that Google made, The Electronic Privacy Information Centre filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission yesterday arguing that privacy violations remain because Google automatically signs up Gmail users for Buzz, rather than waiting for them to do so themselves, or ‘opt in’ for the service.The watchdog agency wants the FTC to demand Google to make Buzz a ‘fully opt-in’ service. It also wants the company barred from using Gmail address book contacts to compile social networking lists.
Google insists that it gives users control because, even though it adds a “Buzz” link to all Gmail accounts, users must click on the link and agree to activate the service. Google also gives users the option to disable Buzz.
In response to the EPIC complaint, Google said that it has already made the changes(above) and it plans on making more improvements.
Here are the features that remain in a nutshell:
• Each time a user posts a message, photo or link on Buzz they can choose to share it publicly with the world or privately to a small group of friends.
* Buzz responses are sent to the user’s inbox, but unlike static email messages, the messages are live conversations where comments appear in real time.
* Buzz technology is integrtated into the mobile versions of its website and its online map products.
* Content from Twitter can be shared, but users can only see tweets within Buzz and cannot publish new messages to Twitter’s service.
* Buzz is still not allowing posts from Facebook, the world’s number one social network with 400 million active users.
