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Until now, Google has allowed its users to transfer data, including their contacts, to other websites. For Facebook, this means new users can find out whether their Gmail contacts also have Facebook accounts simply by typing in their Gmail username and password as part of the Facebook signup process. The Terms of Service change, however, means that websites which access Google Contacts will need to offer access to their data to Google too. Since Facebook doesn't do that, it appears that users will soon no longer be able to import their Google Contacts into the site.
Facebook is still allowing its users to import contact information from Google. Right now, only the rules have changed, but we're willing to bet that Mountain View will end up simply blocking Palo Alto from accessing its data if it doesn't get what it wants.
Facebook has never allowed users to export their contact information; the social networking giant recently launched a Facebook data download feature that gives you a list of contact names, but that's it. Facebook likely doesn't want to allow sharing contact information for two reasons. First of all, it wants to avoid another privacy fiasco. Secondly, it wants to continue to dominate the social scene on the Web.
We understand why Google expects data reciprocity, but the way it is going about it isn't likely to be very successful. The fact is that Facebook's social graph is much more valuable than Google's. Usually, when two major Web companies get competitive, the consumer wins. So far, however, this approach seems like it won't do users any good.
User Comments: 39
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@Cryptopsy
Google isn't much better than facebook; so get over it; and let the two evils fight and hope the some other lesser evil may take advantage.
By the way I don't have facebook account nor I use google; sometimes it is better to be neutral and be able to see the bigger picture.
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I completely agree with the author's views in this article. If a user specifies that they want their data stored in Google contact's to be shared with Facebook then there shouldn't be an issue. I don't understand why Google wants to be able to access similar data stored on Facebook. Might just be Google's never ending mission of caching of all knowledge and information in existence!
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With two ad based companies, how can we possibly win from them battling?
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There is this saying of my people that goes thus :"When two elephants fight, the grasses are the ones that suffer". It's the users that bears the brunt most of the time when tussles like these come up. Let's just hope they reach some meaningful and consumer friendly compromise. In the first place I wouldnt want to share too much info about me on any social website, so not much hurt to me if they stay stiff-headed.
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Come on its give and take, Google shares information, and so should facebook.
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I think in this case Google is right. If they share information to a portal, the portal shall do the same. The other side is if user is aware what kind of information is exchanged.
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Guest said:
Good move by Google. Facebook needs to let people access their contact information. People don't even realize how much they are giving away to Facebook, with nothing in return. Google should have done this years ago.
Exactly what I would have written! Thanks for saving my time and doing all the work for me... and you will get nothing from me in return, muhuhuhaahaaa!
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Thumbs up for Google, down for FB.
Zuck's face (strategy if you like) really needed some bitchslapping
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Maybe this'll force Facebook to open up a bit? Or maybe Google is jealous of Facebook? Or maybe Google is thinking about getting into the Social Networking field themselves and this is just the first step? I personally think the "voices" told them to do it. Not a Facebook fan anyway, so I don't really care about this.
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google is on a rampage lately....every other post is about them[google]
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Good for google... Facebook doesn't need to be sticking its nose into more than what it already has. To many people waste way too much time on facebook anyway. Are you so lazy that you can't find friends without searching your gmail account. I wouldn't trust facebook with my gmail account anyway!
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I'm on the Google side of this. Facebook finds tons of ways to import data from you and so much in fact that it even asks you if you want it to be automated sometimes. I can see nothing but bad things coming from this especially since there are a lot of non-computer savvy people on Facebook. I mean, you have grandmothers and people that wouldn't normally use a computer on Facebook. It is these people who are getting taken advantage of by these devices, not us geeks who use the computer everyday for millions of tasks. I think it is good that Google (evil empire that they may be) is trying to block Facebook.
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hassaan said:
I'm on the Google side of this. Facebook finds tons of ways to import data from you and so much in fact that it even asks you if you want it to be automated sometimes. I can see nothing but bad things coming from this especially since there are a lot of non-computer savvy people on Facebook. I mean, you have grandmothers and people that wouldn't normally use a computer on Facebook. It is these people who are getting taken advantage of by these devices, not us geeks who use the computer everyday for millions of tasks. I think it is good that Google (evil empire that they may be) is trying to block Facebook.
This is not about being on one side, when people's details keep exchanging hands here and there every now and then, something of it may drop in the wrong hands. Am just not comfortable unrestricted movement of data.
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This is nothing but a "Tit for tat" policy!!
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