Google apologizes to users who say Buzz is intrusive

SAN FRANCISCO — This was not the kind of buzz Google Inc. wanted to generate.

The Internet giant took the unusual step of
apologizing to users over the weekend for features in its new social
networking service, Google Buzz, that some said violated their privacy.
It also tweaked the product for the second time in less than a week.

The mea culpa did not pacify privacy watchdogs who
contended that this is yet another example of online companies playing
fast and loose with consumers’ private information.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center said it
would still file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on
Tuesday. Executive Director Marc Rotenberg is calling on the commission to take more aggressive action to protect consumer privacy.

“The bottom line is that self-regulation is not working,” Rotenberg said. “Google pushes the envelope, people scream and they dial back the service until the screaming subsides.”

Last week, Google
launched a new social networking service inside millions of Gmail
accounts, its latest bid to break into social networking and counter
the growing popularity of Facebook and Twitter. The launch caused an
uproar as people got nervous that their private e-mail contacts or
e-mail address would be exposed.

In a blog post Saturday, Google product manager Todd Jackson acknowledged the criticism and announced several changes. Chief among
them: Instead of having people automatically follow their frequent
e-mail and chat contacts in Gmail, Buzz will suggest people to follow.

Google also said
that it would create a new Buzz tab to allow users to hide or turn it
off and would no longer automatically connect Picasa photo albums and
Google Reader items to Buzz.

“We quickly realized that we didn’t get everything
quite right,” Jackson said in the post. “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.”

Technology blogger Louis Gray said
the latest changes address the privacy concerns. He predicted the
hubbub would subside as it has in the past for other social networks
such as Facebook, which, despite raising the hackles of users and
privacy watchdogs in the past, recently reached more than 400 million
users.

Gmail has 176 million users, according to research firm ComScore Inc. Google said that tens of millions tried the Buzz service in the first 48 hours.

Whether Google Buzz will catch on remains to be
seen. Consumers short on time aren’t necessarily looking to join yet
another social network.

“Those people who aren’t early adopters are not
engaging right now. And they might not ever unless there is a unique
reason to go to Google Buzz,” Gray said.

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