Google Hit with Lawsuit Over Google Buzz

Google is facing a class-action lawsuit filed in a San Jose, California federal court over its Google Buzz social networking service. According to the San Francisco Chronicle the lawsuit alleges Google Buzz violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) — a law passed in 1984 that is intended to protect individuals against companies that compromise the confidentiality of a computer.

“The plaintiff is seeking injunctions to prevent [Google] from taking similar actions in the future, and unspecified monetary relief,” according to the Chronicle. There are 31.2 million Gmail users.

Neither Hibnick nor Google have commented on the case.

Google Buzz has faced criticism from its introduction. Complaints first mounted over Google Buzz because activating the service within Gmail automatically identified personal e-mail addresses and contacts associated with their Gmail account which many believe was a serious violation of privacy. Despite alterations to how the program worked and apologies from Google, many Gmail users have not stopped grousing over Buzz.

This class-action lawsuit comes right on the heels of the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s (EPIC) privacy complaint to the FTC. EPIC thought that Buzz’s opt-out option cut into user’s personal information.

The lawsuit has been filed by William Audet of Audet & Partners LLP in San Francisco, on the behalf of Eva Hibnick of Florida.