Google plunders customers' contact books

For its social network Buzz, the Internet giant Google accessed the electronic contact books of customers of its email service Gmail and linked the contacts as friends without informing them. But some things really ought to remain secret, writes the daily The Independent: "It hadn't occurred to [Google] that some people might not want all their contacts to know who else they have been contacting. ... It would be sad to believe that social networking is mostly made up of antisocial behaviour: cheating on partners; checking up on exes; meddling maliciously in other people's affairs. But it is always worth bearing in mind how one's innocent written comments might look to others."

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » Social movements, » Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Katy Guest

» To the complete press review of Thursday, February 18, 2010