Google+ Gets the NY Times Thumbs Up On Privacy: Facebook Gets Thumbs Down

Sites include Facebook.com , Google.com , Nytimes.com . Published on July 20th, 2011. Written by Anthony West.

Google+ and its innovative feature called Circles, has been voted number one when it comes to how privacy is handled. That’s according to the NY Times. The number two position goes to the other social networking giant on the block, Facebook.

This news is hardly surprising given Facebook’s nonchalance when it comes to user privacy. For years users and critics alike have chided Facebook for not working harder at making privacy the driving force behind its development. Well, Google has obviously been paying attention to Facebook user complaints and the integration of “circles” into Google+ is a powerful pull for would-be users.

But there is perhaps a subtext to Facebook’s nonchalance, and it has to do with the “viral” nature of how Facebook works. At present, something shared on Facebook, due to the lack of friend-specific filtering, has a strong chance of going viral. Contrast that to circles, and anything shared will likely remain in a tight alcove of connected people.

Perhaps Facebook has taken its position on privacy settings in favour of viral growth? That’s just one theory on the matter, though. It could very well be that Facebook doesn’t really care. After all, Facebook is the biggest game in town—for now at least.

At any rate, the ultimate judge of how well Google+ handles privacy will be its user base. For now, “Circles” is a great idea and should serve Google well. Let’s hope the feature doesn’t transform into something less appealing as tries to grow the network.

Not sure how Facebook privacy settings work? Watch the video below for a handy tutorial.