Google has decided to shut down its Google+ social media platform due to a lack of consumer involvement.
The company has provided
an action plan on how the platform will be deferred, with the first stage beginning
from February 2019.
The statement
comes after the exposure of a massive data leak by Google today, thanks to a
bug in the Google+ API which affected up to 500,000 consumers. The bug
shared information with apps that was not supposed to be publicly shared. The
bug was patched in March 2018, but only detailed now.
Beginning February 4, customers
will not be able to form new Google+ profiles, pages, communities, or events,
marking the first step of the project probe.
By 7 March 2019, Google will start replacing Google+ sign-in keys with standard Google account sign-in options and remove Google+ comments from websites
Consumers with pages,
communities, and media kept on their Google+ accounts must download and save
their content before April 2019, as all of the data from consumer accounts will
be erased on April 2, 2019.
Google+ accounts for G Suite
users will remain active and will receive new features along with an interface
overhaul in the near future.
“From all of us on the Google+
team, thank you for making Google+ such a special place. We are grateful for
the talented group of artists, community builders, and thought leaders who made
Google+ their home,” Google said.
