Consumer Version of Google+ is to Close Following Data Breach

Google is to close the majority of its Google+ social network after a huge data breach affected approximately 500,000 users.  It launched in 2011 in a bid to compete with Facebook, Google+ pulled all of Google's tools and services together, including Gmail and Picasa. 

A software bug is understood to have caused the breach which allowed third parties to access information that users believed to be private. 

The breach is understood to have happened in march, according to the Wall Street Journal, but Google claimed that the matter was not serious enough to make an announcement.

A blog post by Ben Smith, Google's vice president of engineering, said: "Our Privacy and Data Protection Office reviewed this issue, looking at the type of data involved, whether we could accurately identify the users to inform, whether there was any evidence of misuse, and whether there were any actions a developer or user could take in response.

"None of these thresholds were met here."

Mr Smith added: "The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement: 90% of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds."

"It has not achieved broad consumer or developer adoption, and has seen limited user interaction with apps."

Google said it would continue to offer private Google+ powered networks for existing software users in business settings.

Source : Insight DIY Team

Image : Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

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