Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Development
    • IT Management

    Google Pressures Facebook over Data Portability

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    November 6, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google Nov. 5 moved to strong-arm Facebook into making its data more portable, barring the social network from automatically importing Gmail contacts.

      Google allows its users to transfer data generated in its Web services to other Websites, part of the company’s Data Liberation Front program.

      Google with its Contacts Data API has also allowed companies such as Facebook to pull Gmail users’ contacts from the service, helping users of the social network instantly populate contacts when they set up their accounts.

      This practice, which allows users to type in their Gmail user name and password as part of the Facebook signup process, saves users the hassle of manually importing contacts.

      However, Facebook is more protective of its contact information. The company, citing end-user privacy concerns, does not freely grant users the freedom to export their contact data to other Websites. Instead, it has cut private deals to let users of Microsoft Live Hotmail and Yahoo Mail import Facebook contact data.

      To that end, Google Nov. 4 altered its Google Contacts Data API terms of service to prevent Facebook and other companies from automatically pulling Gmail contacts into their service.

      Google will allow companies that leverage its API to let users export their data from Google as long as these companies enable the same practice of exporting data, including contacts. Enforcement is on a case-by-case basis.

      In other words, Google is calling for a quid pro quo on contact data. Websites such as Facebook that don’t allow users to import and export contact info easily leave users in a “data dead end,” a Google spokesperson told eWEEK:

      “We have decided to change our approach slightly to reflect the fact that users often aren’t aware that once they have imported their contacts into sites like Facebook they are effectively trapped.”

      Google Challenges Facebooks Data Stance

      In accordance with Google’s Data Liberation Front program, users will still be able to export their Gmail contacts to their computers in a machine-readable format. Users may then upload those contacts into Facebook.

      “It’s important that when we automate the transfer of contacts to another service, users have some certainty that the new service meets a baseline standard of data portability,” the Google spokesperson said. “We hope that reciprocity will be an important step toward creating a world of true data liberation-and that this move will encourage other Websites to allow users to automate the export of their contacts as well.”

      Google’s implication in the clause is clear: Those who fail to share contact data the way Google does don’t support data portability. A phrase used to reward companies that share user data is the term “open” and to punish those who don’t is “closed.”

      That is the public relations weapon Google is now wielding against Facebook, which poses the first great threat to Google’s online ad opportunities. With 500 million-plus users, Facebook is growing and finding interesting ways to monetize its massive network.

      Google, which relies on machine-driven algorithms to power its search and ad products, has struggled to match Facebook’s social software prowess.

      By revising its Contacts API, Google could crimp Facebook’s growth plans, giving it time to cultivate its own social network layers, code-named Google Me.

      Interestingly, Google CEO Eric Schmidt may have signaled this move in September when he told the media that while Google desired to access Facebook’s contact lists, the company would find ways to get the data.

      He did not mention strong-arming Facebook for the data-which Google is clearly doing here-as one of those methods.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×