Re:Google did something seriously wrong
by orangecat on Sunday February 14, 2010 @10:57PM
(#1125851)
It was not at all obvious that "create a public profile" was equivalent to "make public the people who I frequently email". Certainly it's much more complex than telling the difference between ReadWriteWeb and Facebook, in which case there was a great deal of sympathy for the clueless users.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Yes, and I think Google was too cavalier in how they flagged that up -- the current revisions are much better.
But nonetheless, it doesn't mean they forced people's data public, and it doesn't mean the NYT should have reported that as fact, as Winer demands. It's more nuanced than that, and only hit-seeking shouty tech blogs are saying otherwise. It'd be a disservice to their readers and the truth for the NYT to take their piece to the same histronic level as this link.