Google settles Buzz class action

David Heath
Wednesday, 03 November 2010 12:36

IT Policy - Regulation

In an email to all US-based registered users of Google Buzz, Google has announced details of the settlement reached with a group of Buzz users concerned about privacy flaws in the product.

Earlier this year, Google launched Buzz and almost immediately reports emerged of a major privacy flaw in the product (for instance, see the first comment in the link above) where the people a user followed and those that followed the user was publicly visible.

A number of early Buzz adopters sued Google over this major problem (which was repaired very quickly after Google was made aware) on the basis that the system should never have been released in such a privacy-poor state.

On-line services have has a very chequered career when it comes to managing subscribers' privacy.  For instance, Facebook endured the recent "Quit Facebook Day" and also has long-pasting bad press over it's constantly-changing privacy landscape.

"We are satisfied with the agreement and are glad to move forward," said a Google spokesperson via the official class-action website http://www.BuzzClassAction.com . "We have always been committed to offering users transparency and choice in Buzz and all our products, and will continue to work together with users to provide the best experience possible."

Gary E. Mason, counsel for the Plaintiffs in the litigation, said, "We feel this Settlement provides many benefits to Class Members, including providing a significant amount of money to non-profit groups committed to educating users about Internet privacy and ensuring that Buzz users can join this on-line community without compromising their privacy."

Today, Google has sent an email to all registered US-based Buzz users detailing the settlement reached.  The contents are as follows: