Google sued over Buzz violating data privacy laws

12:10 10th March 2010

Google has been sued by a Gmail user for allegedly violating data privacy laws when it launched social network service Buzz last month.

Andranik Souvalian of Cranston, Rhode Island, has filed a complaint claiming that the web giant deliberately exceeded its authorisation to access and control confidential and private data.

"Buzz has raised privacy concerns including, but not limited to, the automatic importing of private contacts and showing them to friends and importing without authorisation the customers' private photos onto the Buzz social network," the complaint said.

According to US reports, a spokesperson for Google said he could not comment because the company had not yet been served with the complaint.

In other news, in a bid to respond to privacy concerns about its just-released Buzz social networking service, Google has announced plans to roll out a series of changes.

Critics have said there is too little control over who can follow users, adding that there is no way to block people who do not have public profiles.

Written by Hannah James

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