Google's Itsy Bitsy Problem

HEADLINE 2019! 

Major Internet corporation is hacked and user's personal data is exposed and shared through multiple medium after nearly have a year if not more cover up by aforementioned internet company.  

Yes, that's right folks. Facebook and Twitter no longer have the dunce corner all to themselves, they now share that prestigious distinction with Alphabet Company's Flagship, Google.  What began as a simple search engine has over the last decade expanded into social media through its Google+ platform where users can create communities and profiles to share photos, blogs, interact, interface and intermingle with one another from across the world.  Google is very proud of this service, which is why they are shutting it down after indications the platform was breached.  

The actual crime itself is fairly simple, the only data that was lost included names, email addresses, occupation, things easily found in many social media. The potential intrusion was through vulnerability links in apps of companies that use the service.  The problem was known seven months ago.  The result was made public seven months later. Now Google has decided to take poor, reliable Google+ out behind the shed and put it out of it's self inflicted misery with no backup for the thousands to millions who have used the service since it began in 2010.  Google will move on, as any company will do from its mistake, and maybe try to pretend like nothing happened.

This has sent users, such as myself, scrambling to back up content, find other platforms, and reconnect with connections so that they are not lost. So the SS Googletanic has hit the iceberg, the crew has put holes in all the lifeboats except their own and disembarked already, and the passengers are left to fend for themselves while the strains of "Nearer My God to Thee" play over the chaos.  This is exactly how to NOT run a business.
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I will fully admit to having problems with Google+, some old some new. I shared exactly what happened to me and how I was flagged for spamming and lost a few years worth of blogging and connections due to a few accidental re-postings on communities due to Google's own strange way of posting content.  I have shared the fact and frustration of many users who can never appeal or solve problems because there is NO WAY TO CONTACT GOOGLE.  Most support communities are user run, and any contact information for the company regarding Google+ or Blogger is suspiciously absent.  The most one can get is quarterly reports on their financials (wonder where those are going to go now) and maybe if your lucky an automated response if you call them (yes I tried.)

I shared how I moved to this new blog, expecting great things and new opportunities.  I liked how I could interact with people.  Now that's gone, not just for me but for many people.  The moment I heard what happened, I began to work, not just planning on how I am going to move, but I started writing.   I wrote my local congressperson, I wrote my senators.  Say what you will about the current administration as well, but I also contacted the white house, because of all the advocates for users on the internet and how we've been treated by Google, Facebook and Twitter, President Trump has been one of the best.

Let us not forget that Facebook and Twitter were called into Congress, changes were promised.  Deadline, Facebook's been hacked again, and worse. Back during those hearings, Google was requested to come to congress.  The table for Google was mysteriously absent, guess they were busy, with what I could not guess.

The symptoms Google's complacency have been evident for a while.  There's been a rash of pornography problems on the service too, with user accounts popping up and back and sharing pictures, videos and data to websites, often with very graphic pictures.  All I can do is block and report, there's no way to do much else about it.  These people make new accounts and post just as quickly as they disappear,and moderators can't always keep up, or the communities might not have mods.

 If you distrust my word on the problem, go to the Poetry Community and search for Randy G's post on the subject. People were leaving communities and Google+ long before the outing of the hack. It would be nice to log into my social network without having to go and report and block 18 flagrant post every few hours. Once again, there's no way to solve the issue since a company based on communication has no way to communicate with them other than blocking and reporting.  Strange, considering they are data agerators.

Google, Facebook and Twitter are well known for gathering and sharing user data content, floating programs and ideas that they then turn around and use against users free speech or for advertising.  Now in the wake of these latest developments, I wonder if the empty table that SHOULD be awaiting Google after the elections will no longer be empty.  I wonder if we as users of the internet will hold these companies accountable for what they are doing?

Some say Google, Facebook, Twitter are too big to fail, too hard to break up.  Nonsense.  Let us not forget the tragic story of Ma Bell and how after breaking up the company a new flourish of ideas and innovation spread throughout the subsequent companies and helped to foster the creation of the current internet.  Let us not also forget the one company mysteriously absent from this list, a company that is perhaps the wealthiest, most well connected corporation in history so far, a company with a lot of financial and personal data.  I think it rhymes with a river in South America.
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So what does this mean for me?

Well it's going to be my last post through blogger on the journal section, and I will make one final post on the travel section both of which will include my new information. 

I am going to move to wordpress, possibly reddit, tumblr and other areas. 

I heard of a community on Google+ that is trying to network and suggest alternate platforms, so I will look at that and hopefully find a solution and I suggest others do the same before its shut down.   I am going to network with people who follow me on communities, see what we can figure out.

I encourage everyone to stand up and shout about this.  Make some noise, get messy, but be respectful.  Google did provide a great platform for years, and while it declined, the fact is they allowed this to happen and they could just as easily found a solution for all of us.  Instead of innovating, they decided to destroy and cover it up.   So, my fellow travelers, pack your bags, put on your life vest, and practice your backstroke.  The lights are going out in August 2019, but it is always darkest before dawn.  Or as the immortal Douglas Adams once said, "So long and thanks for all the fish."

(Content and artwork Copyright William H. Johnston 2018)