Google to Shut Down Google+ Following Data Exposure

Google has decided to permanently shut down its social network, Google+, after a vulnerability exposed the data of 500,000 users between 2015 and March 2018. Google decided not to report the vulnerability earlier because of the fear of facing sanctions from lawmakers.

Although the search engine company did not find evidence of data misuse, a bug was found during their internal review, Project Strobe. In an audit review into the accessibility of user data by third-party developers, the bug gave out private information of Google+ account holders.

Google+, launched in 2011, has seen a gradual reduction in its usage over the years. Google gradually moved some of its features including Hangout chats and images to separate apps. Google intends to shut down Google+ in August 2019.