Google Buzz Off!

[athelind]

I hate to say it, but with all the fuss about Google Buzz and having to create a full profile to opt OUT of the damned thing, I'm trying to fight down a wave of Insufferable Smugness about refusing to get a gmail address in the first place, because I Didn't Trust Google With My Private Mail.

I SAW THE FNORDS, MAN.

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Comments

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

I use Gmail and I have no idea what Buzz is, hehe. But, then, again, I use Thunderbird so I don't ever log into Google's page. :p

[waywind.livejournal.com]

That's exactly the problem. Gmail opts you into Buzz even if you don't know what Buzz is and didn't agree to join it. :/

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Here's the problem.

(A quick search on "Google Buzz Privacy" will net a big heaping pile of similar complaints, but this is the one that best illustrates why it's a problem.)

Here's the closest thing to a "solution", and it's pretty half-assed.

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

*whistles* That's pretty invasive. I thought that Google was committed to protecting privacy. Ouch.

[toob.livejournal.com]

What are you talking about?

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Google Buzz is a new social networking extension that Google has automatically added to gmail accounts. Apparently, it gives all manner of unholy access to private information to your "most frequent contact" (including your boss, your stalkers, your exes ... )

I gave a couple of links in my reply to cpxbrex, above.

Of course, since the whole point of this original post is that I don't have a gmail account, and I'm just a spectator on this whole debacle, I'm probably not the best clearinghouse for the buzz on Buzz.

[toob.livejournal.com]

Wait, so is the insufferable smugness you're fighting due to the gleeful thought of your friends on gmail having their privacy compromised, or because they didn't psychically predict it, like you did? ;)

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Mostly the latter.

Honestly, it's only SORTA "psychically"; I decided not to sign up with gmail because the idea of keeping all my mail permanently archived in THE CLOUD gave me the heebie-jeebies, specifically due to the privacy issues.

Still, I didn't predict the SPECIFICS of Google firing up some Social Network Thingumbob that deliberately sprayed all that data out to Everyone Else With Gmail, so that's why I'm trying to SUPPRESS the smug.

[waywind.livejournal.com]

Yep, I've been watching the drama around Google Buzz, too. Quite a nightmare out there.

What e-mail service did you trust with your private mail instead, then?

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Quel and I own our domains, and we have a domain host. Nothing's archived; we download our mail locally and erase it from the server.

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

I give this post a healthy and good-natured PFFFFFFFT. Because I've got my real name on a collection of furry porn, fercrissake, have signed my real name to letters to the editor about cannabis reform, and have given trolls and haters my mailing address just to get their goat. I'm privileged to be able to hide in plain sight and I know it, but hey, it's nice not to have to give a damn about these things. :D

[tombfyre.livejournal.com]

Hooray for not getting a Gmail account! I've never seen the point in having one in the first place. I've got e-mail accounts from my ISP that work just fine!

[thebitterguy]

What's an Internet? Who's a Google?

[taral.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Buzz launch wasn't ideal. They quickly made several adjustments to make it less likely that you accidentally share stuff you don't intend to when enabling buzz: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/millions-of-buzz-users-and-improvements.html

Supposedly they're adding a "Turn Buzz off completely" button in response to user feedback...

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Supposedly they're adding a "Turn Buzz off completely" button in response to user feedback...

If they were really listening, that would be the DEFAULT, and they'd be adding a "Turn Buzz ON" button.

Or maybe that should be "Activate Buzz", to avoid offending Messrs. Aldrin and Lightyear ... .

[taral.livejournal.com]

I don't agree. From what I've heard, the vast majority of users are happy -- it's a vocal minority that got caught by surprise. Admittedly not ideal, but not a reason to turn things off by default.

[zeeth_kyrah]

The vast majority of people in this world don't pay attention to anything that isn't thrust in their faces and smushed around. So to "discover" Buzz by having it smushed in their faces, and realizing what it is by using it (because aside from the privacy bullshit Buzz is pretty cool), makes them happy, because nobody has taught them why doing that is a problem, and they haven't learned for themselves why privacy is a big deal.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

But before turning Buzz off, you apparently have to go through all the followers automatically added and remove them. Otherwise, you'll still be following them, and they'll still be following you.

At least according to .

[taral.livejournal.com]

That would be the "completely" part.

[tephra]

Only on topic so far as being internet and social site related, did you get my PM with the DreamWidth invite code or did LJ eat it?

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I did indeed -- I just spaced on it! Thanks for reminding me!

[mocha-mephooki.livejournal.com]

Huh. I turned it off and took it off my list as soon as it popped up... I don't twitter; why on earth would I want to pseudo-twitter on something else instead?

I'd worry about this, except I only have two or three folks who actually know I have a g-mail, and since I never buzzed, I guess I don't really have anything I need to worry about hiding...

Still... huh.