Google Buzz class action suit filed

There was a lash, then a back lash, and now…a class action law suit. Google Inc. has been named in a class action suit filed in San Jose (CA) federal court alleging that Google broke the law when, via its new social platform Buzz, it disclosed the personal information of Gmail users without consent. The internet has been raging against the Mountain View company due to the way Buzz was rolled out; instead of the more common “opt-in” model, Google pushed Buzz out to all Gmail users making users chose to “opt-out” if they were not interested. The complaint cites the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984 and the suit has the potential to include all Gmail users — over 31 million users at the time of the Buzz release. A Google spokesperson said, “we haven’t yet been served, so we can’t comment on the suit until we’ve had a chance to review it.” We’ll stay on top of this one and report back when new information becomes available.

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