Google Reader shares private data, ruins Christmas (allegedly). Leaked video followup

[Mobi Cheap]

Don’t know what to think about this.

“Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Google Reader shares private data, ruins Christmas

Update 2007-12-26: Getting closer to the truth. A leaked internal Google video reveals that this is part of a new strategy to fight Facebook"

The full blog post by Felipe Hoffa is available here:
http://fhonearth.blogspot.com/2007/12/google-reader-shares-private-data-ruins.html

An early example of how this can be a real issue:

“This is going to sound like hyperbole, but this new feature has
actually RUINED CHRISTMAS for my family! I sent a share a few days ago
that I thought would only go to a few politically-like-minded friends.

I didn't realize that because I had chatted with him in GChat, it
would also go to my brother, who is of a different political
persuasion. When he received it, he sent a snide, angry email about it
to a large group of our family members. I sent him an email (I'll
admit, not the nicest one I've ever sent) asking him not to talk about
me behind my back and recommending that he stop reading my feed if the
posts were going to make him so angry. He called me a nasty name and
told me that if I can't take a little ribbing, maybe we shouldn't talk
anymore at all, including at Christmas Eve dinner. My whole family has
taken sides over this divisive political issue, and several of them
are not speaking. I kid you not, this is threatening to break up my
family at Christmas.

Google, you can set up whatever features you want and make whatever
rules you want to. But you have to give us fair warning so that we can
make decisions about how to use your products.
…”

The full post by AnnaB is available here:

http://groups.google.com/group/google-reader-howdoi/msg/876a2302bc71b433

Many more examples summarized here:

“Unusually apathetic response from Google to 'sharing' complaints

By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews

December 26, 2007, 11:25 AM

An experiment started two weeks ago by Google to leverage its Talk application as a way of sharing news feeds from Google Reader, has been met with some derision. What may be more surprising, though, is the company's response.
…”
The full article is available here::
http://www.betanews.com/article/Unu..._from_Google_to_sharing_complaints/1198686251

Today’s blogged article in the New York Times is availble here:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/google-thinks-it-knows-your-friends/?ref=technology

Scobleizer also wrote about it today (and has 37 comments so far):
http://scobleizer.com/2007/12/26/google-reader-needs-gpc/

Any thoughts?

 

[Peter]

It has been a case for about 2 weeks that Google allow your friends to see the feeds that you read. (the official announcement can be found at http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2007/12/reader-and-talk-are-friends.html)

For some reason nothing was made of it until the last couple of days. Why has this changed.

You can no opt out of this feature.

 

[XuryaX]

Well thats not good because our privacy is at risk.

 

[Peter]

is it really that big a deal unless you are reading things you shouldn't be?

Anyway as I state it can be deactivated now. It was only shared with people you have as contacts anyway.