4 ms·

Google+ invites friends without asking

16 points by mittermayr 15y ago

Google+ just let me know I can open an account now with my Gmail/domain e-mail, and I did. It started recommending people, which I thought was interesting, since I didn't give permission to use my address book. I added them to circles anyway, only to learn (and again, Google+ doesn't tell you this upfront) that most friends actually weren't on Google+ but rather were in my e-mail address book and everytime I added them to a circle, they were invited through e-mail, to join Google+. This shocks me, wouldn't fly in Germany, at all. Why Google? Why all the evil? Here is proof: http://imgur.com/Hck8O

corin_ 15y ago
You were actively asking Google to add those people, it was the polar opposite of "without asking".
- struppi 15y ago
  This is true, he asked google to add those people. Anyway, I sometimes wish it would be easier to see who already is a Google+ user and who is not. Also, I don't think this feature would be a problem in Germany (or here in Austria for that matter). I don't think google needs your permission to use their address book in one of their services that is tightly coupled with gmail.
  - mittermayr 15y ago
    well, unfortunately, legally they need that permission. they probably informed me throughout the process somewhere in the terms, which, i of course skipped. I am just trying to make the point that this is less about legal implications but merely a call for better user guidance and being nice to your customers. i consider myself an advanced user (i make websites, i run a company, i've worked for it corporations) and yet even I 'accidentally' spam a lot of my friends because they showed up in a nicely prepared circle on Google+ that says here are your friends, add them to your circles.
    - ramblerman 15y ago
      how can u share something with someone if they are not on google plus? The fact that adding them would result in an invite seemed like basic logical deduction to me. They could always be clearer, but where does it end...
      - mittermayr 15y ago
        well, as i said, further down, there is a clear "invite friends" section, right underneath the friend suggestions. this pretty much indicates that one thing will suggest friends who are on the network and the other allows me to invite them by e-mail. this is where my confusion came from... and that's where google decided it's cool to show me full names and no (not on the network) indications so i get the impression i can easily move them to a circle and friend them, when in fact, this just helps to spam more people who didn't want to be on the network (and I obviously can't know about this). think business contacts.
        Random_Person 15y ago
        Yeah, if you look at your circles, the friends that aren't on G+ show up with an email icon in their bubble indicating that you are sharing with them via email only. I've suggested multiple times that the same icon be shown in the suggestions list. It really sucks that it is not on by default.
        mittermayr 15y ago
        that's what I meant. exactly.
      - Random_Person 15y ago
        If you share via email, and you check the "Also email x person/s not yet using Google+", it will email those people your post with an invite to join as well. I actually don't mind this because it lets me share my thoughts with people that have no interest in G+ without having to do it twice.
- narag 15y ago
  You were actively asking Google to add those people... Are you kidding? We weren't asking Google to invite people to anything. I added my work address and received an invitation. Then I realized that the rest of people would have also been invited. Not at all what I intended. Embarrassing and infuriating. Now I've lost all trust in G+. BTW, how can I delete the G+ account? (without erasing also the GMail account) Edit: never mind, I already found it and deleted it.
mittermayr 15y ago
EDIT: I've added two screenshots of what I'm pissed about. http://imgur.com/Hck8O http://imgur.com/Hck8O
- thenonhacker 15y ago
  1. How did G+ know who to recommend to you in the first place, who are Not yet members of G+? 2. Did G+ ask you for address book access?
pasbesoin 15y ago
Sounds like a dark pattern (deliberately misleading design). P.S. Every time I think about joining Plus, another issue like this one makes me put on the brakes. At this point, I can say simply that "something doesn't smell right".

16 points by mittermayr 15y ago

corin_ 15y ago

You were actively asking Google to add those people, it was the polar opposite of "without asking".

struppi 15y ago
This is true, he asked google to add those people. Anyway, I sometimes wish it would be easier to see who already is a Google+ user and who is not. Also, I don't think this feature would be a problem in Germany (or here in Austria for that matter). I don't think google needs your permission to use their address book in one of their services that is tightly coupled with gmail.
- mittermayr 15y ago
  well, unfortunately, legally they need that permission. they probably informed me throughout the process somewhere in the terms, which, i of course skipped. I am just trying to make the point that this is less about legal implications but merely a call for better user guidance and being nice to your customers. i consider myself an advanced user (i make websites, i run a company, i've worked for it corporations) and yet even I 'accidentally' spam a lot of my friends because they showed up in a nicely prepared circle on Google+ that says here are your friends, add them to your circles.
  - ramblerman 15y ago
    how can u share something with someone if they are not on google plus? The fact that adding them would result in an invite seemed like basic logical deduction to me. They could always be clearer, but where does it end...
    - mittermayr 15y ago
      well, as i said, further down, there is a clear "invite friends" section, right underneath the friend suggestions. this pretty much indicates that one thing will suggest friends who are on the network and the other allows me to invite them by e-mail. this is where my confusion came from... and that's where google decided it's cool to show me full names and no (not on the network) indications so i get the impression i can easily move them to a circle and friend them, when in fact, this just helps to spam more people who didn't want to be on the network (and I obviously can't know about this). think business contacts.
      - Random_Person 15y ago
        Yeah, if you look at your circles, the friends that aren't on G+ show up with an email icon in their bubble indicating that you are sharing with them via email only. I've suggested multiple times that the same icon be shown in the suggestions list. It really sucks that it is not on by default.
        mittermayr 15y ago
        that's what I meant. exactly.
    - Random_Person 15y ago
      If you share via email, and you check the "Also email x person/s not yet using Google+", it will email those people your post with an invite to join as well. I actually don't mind this because it lets me share my thoughts with people that have no interest in G+ without having to do it twice.
narag 15y ago
You were actively asking Google to add those people... Are you kidding? We weren't asking Google to invite people to anything. I added my work address and received an invitation. Then I realized that the rest of people would have also been invited. Not at all what I intended. Embarrassing and infuriating. Now I've lost all trust in G+. BTW, how can I delete the G+ account? (without erasing also the GMail account) Edit: never mind, I already found it and deleted it.

mittermayr 15y ago

EDIT: I've added two screenshots of what I'm pissed about. http://imgur.com/Hck8O http://imgur.com/Hck8O

thenonhacker 15y ago
1. How did G+ know who to recommend to you in the first place, who are Not yet members of G+? 2. Did G+ ask you for address book access?

pasbesoin 15y ago

Sounds like a dark pattern (deliberately misleading design). P.S. Every time I think about joining Plus, another issue like this one makes me put on the brakes. At this point, I can say simply that "something doesn't smell right".