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The End of Google Plus

October 10, 2018.

Google Plus Rip.

© Google/iStock/Spiria.

Though it’s been quiet, Google Plus, the social network launched in 2011 to counter Facebook’s dominance, still exists. But not for much longer. After the Wall Street Journal reported that Google exposed the private details of some 500,000 Google+ users from 2015 to March 2018, Google has decided to take the axe to its ailing social network. During this period, the APIs made it possible for developers to view profile information not marked as public, including full names, email addresses, birth dates, gender, profile photos, places lived, occupation, and relationship status. Furthermore, what’s shocking about this whole business is that Google opted not to report the lapse, in part out of concern for the reputational damage this disclosure would cause. Over the next 10 months, Google plans to retire the consumer version. It will continue to make Google+ available to enterprise users.

Ars Technica, “Google+ shutting down after data leak affecting 500,000 users.”