Google Shuts Down Consumer Version of Google+ Social Network
*By Carlo Versano*
Google cut its losses Monday after the publication of a story about a previously unreported data breach at its struggling Google+ social network.
The Alphabet-owned company ($GOOGL) said in a [blog post](https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/project-strobe/) that it would shutter Google+ to consumers as part of a larger restructuring of its privacy controls. It noted that "90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds."
The post seemed timed to respond to a [report](https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-exposed-user-data-feared-repercussions-of-disclosing-to-public-1539017194) in the Wall Street Journal that the company had discovered a vulnerability back in March that left the private data of hundreds of thousands of Google+ users potentially exposed for as long as three years until it was found and patched.
Further, the Journal reported that Google executives, including CEO Sundar Pichai, made a strategic decision to keep the vulnerability secret due to the potential for "immediate regulatory interest." The bug was discovered just as the Facebook ($FB) scandal involving Cambridge Analytica was reinvigorating a public debate over how the big tech companies were handling the massive troves of data they were collecting.
Google said the vulnerability was a result of a coding bug in conjunction with an API that gave access to outside developers and exposed the names, email addresses, occupations, genders, and ages of roughly 500,000 users. It said it found no evidence that the exposed data was misused by third-party developers.
The decision to keep the issue private and then kill the social network altogether reflects the heightened stakes for the handful of tech companies that control the vast majority of the web. The "growth at all costs" mantra is being replaced with a more cautious approach that seeks to weigh the trust of an increasingly skeptical public and new interest from regulators.
But by not immediately alerting the public last spring, Google has likely made the matter worse for itself as it now must react to a scandal just as it gets ready to [unveil](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIG1k8umaCIIrujZPzZPIMA) a slate of new devices.
Meta announced its plans to join the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This is leaving businesses and customers wondering what the tech giant has in store for the event. Nicola Mendelsohn, the vice president of the global business group at Meta, joined Cheddar News to preview what the tech giant will discuss at this year's festival. "We're going to be showcasing more about reels. We're going to be talking about our commerce solutions, are messaging solutions, and of course, the method of us speaking of new ways to kind of connect with customers," she said.
On today's episode of On The Job: Cheddar gets a look at how the salon and beauty industry has pivoted throughout the pandemic; Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, breaks down how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board;
Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist at The Bauke Group, breaks down why companies are being 'ghosted' by new hires, and what repercussions can come from this.
Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, joins On The Job to discuss how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board, and the latest trends surrounding remote hiring across the globe.
Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist, The Bauke Group, joins Cheddar to discuss the phenomenon of new hires accepting jobs and quitting before their first day of work, and how ghosting one company may come back to bite you when you find a job you really want.
Miami's real estate market has boomed since early 2020, thanks to an overall strong housing market, remote work, and no income tax as incentives. The city is preparing to welcome even more residents as people relocate to warmer climates to work from home. Garrett Derderian, director of market intelligence at SERHANT, joined Cheddar to discuss the Magic City's red hot market.
Paul Tracey, Founder & CEO of Innovative Technologies, and author of 'Delete The Hacker Playbook' and 'Cyber Storm', joins Cheddar to discuss the most effective ways to protect small businesses from cyber attacks, the labor shortage's effects on cybercrime, and how businesses and employees can stay cyber secure while working from home.
A lot has changed since the pandemic began back in march 2020. COVID-19 caused a huge disruption in the U.S. labor force that is just beginning to normalize. As of last month, about 96% of jobs lost in the pandemic have returned. Still, where people work now looks very different from two years ago. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier looks at where the jobs are now and where they aren't.
