Here’s Why Google is Shutting Down Google+
Well, it finally happened. Google+ is finally being shut down by Google. It’s the end of a long and winding road for Google+, but it’s the end that many saw coming. Here’s why it happened:
1. Low Engagement
No one was using Google+, which has to be one of the main reasons the platform is being shut down. Over 90% of users were on and off the platform within 5 seconds – pretty atrocious numbers. Google didn’t offer any other numbers, either at the social network’s peak or at the present time. Some estimated that the total number of profiles in 2015 was around 111 million, but that outside estimate can’t be confirmed.
2. Security Flaws
What’s worse than low engagement numbers? Low engagement numbers and security flaws, together. Google revealed that a software bug gave developers access to the private data of 500 million Google+ users. Not good.
The bug was discovered in March 2018, but Google didn’t report the leak at the time over fears of regulatory scrutiny. While they weren’t required to share the information (according to California law), it still looks pretty shady. Google would rather kill Google+ at this point than address the security concern.
We discuss this topic in depth on the podcast this week, have a listen here:
