Google Buzz ‘auto-follow’ feature violates Gmail privacy

Google recently released Buzz, the company’s foray into the social networking world of microblogging. The service competes with other social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Upon release, Buzz has been getting some criticism over its default privacy settings.

Google launched Buzz last Tuesday to the public after its announcement. The new service piggybacks off Gmail automatically so users do not have to update their email account. According to USA Today, Buzz has been receiving harsh criticism over its default privacy settings as it taps into your Gmail contacts list.

This integration was done for the most part under the radar causing many to raise concerns over the way it was implemented. Buzz leeches off your contacts list by auto-following those who you may email frequently with. This is similar to Twitter where users can follow someone.