Google Admits Buzz Testing Sucked and They are 'Very Very Sorry'

Gizmodo

Are Larry and Sergey Buzzed?

Google has admitted that their Buzz testing process was equivalent to mine: Click enable, then disable it ninety seconds later. They said to the BBC that their testing sucked donkey balls, which is why many people hate it. The excuse:

    We're very early in this space. This was one of our first big attempts. We've been testing Buzz internally at Google for a while. Of course, getting feedback from 20,000 Googlers isn't quite the same as letting Gmail users play with Buzz in the wild. If it becomes clear that people don't think we've done enough, we'll make more changes.

That's what Todd Jackson, Buzz product manager, told BBC News. Google only tested this thing internally, and didn't put the service through the Google Trusted Tester program, like they have done with other services in the past. He also admitted that tens of millions of Buzz users were "rightfully upset" and that Google was "very, very sorry." Todd's right, but I don't think all those "tens of millions of Buzz" ex-users would care about the too late apologies. They do care about the privacy problems and the inbox spamming.

Would these users give Google another chance? I doubt it would be soon. And, personally, I doubt there's enough interest for yet another Facebookish Tumblred Twitting clusterfuckassered online service.

Privacy Group Files FTC Complaint Against Google Buzz
AP

A privacy watchdog group complained to federal regulators on Tuesday about Google's new Buzz social networking service, saying it violates federal consumer protection law.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed its complaint with the Federal Trade Commission just days after Google Inc. altered the service to address mounting privacy concerns.

Since launching Google Buzz as part of Gmail a week ago, the search company has come under fire for automatically creating public circles of friends for users based on their most frequent Gmail contacts. Over the weekend, Google altered the service to merely suggest contacts for its users' social networks.

Despite the changes, EPIC argues 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. EPIC wants the FTC to require 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.

"This is a significant breach of consumers' expectations of privacy," EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg said in a statement. "Google should not be allowed to push users' personal information into a social network they never requested."

But 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 it has already made some changes to Buzz based on user feedback and has "more improvements in the works."

"We look forward to hearing more suggestions and will continue to improve the Buzz experience with user transparency and control top of mind," the company said.

Yet Again, Google Revises Buzz Privacy Settings

USA Today

Google on Saturday again revised privacy settings of Buzz, the new social network it has piggy- backed onto tens of millions of existing Gmail accounts.

It was the second major revision in 72 hours. The search giant has been scrambling all week to quell backlash from Gmail users upset about how Google has introduced the new service and how Buzz taps into their Gmail contacts list.

Buzz lets Gmail subscribers create profiles, like Facebook, and send Internet-wide blog postings, like Twitter. One issue of concern is a feature called "auto follow" that automatically sets up people you e-mail and chat with the most as followers of your Buzz postings.

Google launched Buzz on Tuesday with auto follow enabled by default. Disabling it required several steps. On Thursday, Google announced it would revise that feature by displaying a pre-checked box, followed by two lines of text describing the auto follow function and allowing first time users to disable it by unchecking the box.

On Saturday afternoon, Google announced another revision. It said first time users will be presented with a series of pre-checked boxes, each showing a photo and name of a specific person Google suggests the user follows, chosen from those they e-mail and chat with "the most," says company spokeswoman Victoria Katsarou.

Users will not be able to use Buzz unless they make some choices at that point: affirm the full list, disable the entire list, or select specific individuals from the list to follow. "We're prompting you to make the decision to say 'Yes, we want to follow these people,'" says Katsarou.

She said the new revision, dubbed "auto-suggest," will go live "in the next couple of days."

Some critics have been calling for Google to go a step further and assume Gmail users do not want Buzz's auto follow feature enabled unless they specifically request it. Nicholas Carlson, senior editor at Silicon Alley Insider, says this could easily be done by leaving the boxes unchecked. Users would retain the privilege to "opt in" by checking boxes.

Beyond the auto follow feature, Buzz's tight integration with Gmail and other free Google online services has raised a storm of complaints on blogs and social networks. Some users have complained about their lists of contacts being spread too widely without their permission, introducing the potential to disrupt business and personal confidences.

In its blog post Saturday, Google acknowledged the problems.

"We quickly realized that we didn't get everything quite right," wrote Todd Jackson, Google's product manager for Gmail and Buzz. "We're very sorry for the concern we've caused and have been working hard ever since to improve things based on your feedback. We'll continue to do so."

Google Buzz Privacy Concerns Similiar to Facebook Issues
eWeek

Google's entry into the social networking space will face similar privacy challenges as Facebook and other social networking sites. Here are some facts about Buzz privacy for users to keep in mind.

Social networking brings with it its own set of privacy and security challenges. With Google making its own foray into the space with the launch of Google Buzz, security experts say users will have to find the right balance between privacy and openness.

Like Facebook, Buzz allows users to post updates, videos and photos. Buzz will automatically push updates to Gmail users from fellow users with whom they exchange e-mail and engage in chat sessions. In addition, Picasa Web public albums, Google Chat status messages and items shared via Google Reader will appear as posts in Buzz.

 “We designed Buzz to make it easy to connect with other people and have conversations about the things that interest you,” a Google spokesperson said. “That said, we understand some users may not want to share their posts with others, so we've made it easy for users to change and control their personal settings.”

Gmail users can follow people whose Buzz posts they choose to see, and Buzz recommends posts from others as well that the user can choose to ignore. Users can opt out of displaying the full list of people following them and who they are following.

However, the default setting is "public", meaning Buzz users will find themselves initially in the same condition as Facebook users did when the social networking site updated its privacy settings two months ago. In the public setting, posts will be available to all users of Google Buzz as well as the poster’s searchable Google profile. The user’s activity on connected sites such as Picasa Web Albums or Twitter can be shared in Google Buzz as well.

 “That’s always the key point on any social networking site—people have available to them the means to protect their privacy but often don’t,” said Augie Ray, an analyst with Forrester Research.

 “Another area of concern may be the way Google’s mobile app allows people to give permission to automatically report their location,” he said. “That’s the sort of “set it once than then forget it” setting that can catch the casual use unaware.”

If a user chooses to view "nearby" posts, the person’s location will be collected by Google. Location information will also be collected if a user creates a post that shares his or her location. However, users can also choose to exclude their location from all mobile posts or on a post-by-post basis.

 Just how users will react to Google’s approach to privacy remains to be seen.

 “I think it will find its niche and those that enjoy Google's services will be receptive to its controls,” said Sean Sullivan, security advisor for North American Labs at F-Secure. “I use Google Reader and currently "share" items with colleagues. It works very well for this. I don't think it will generate a backlash, I'll just turn it off like I do many of the other features included in Gmail, and I'm sure many others will as well.”