Huge Google glitch sent messages to wrong people

A bug in Google Hangouts led to massive privacy fail

Published September 26, 2013 6:13PM (EDT)

On Thursday morning, a number of users of Google's instant messaging service, Google Hangout, got an unpleasant surprise. Owing to a glitch that the online giant says is now fixed, messages were going out to the wrong recipients. Chat messages were going out to unintended recipients for a number of hours, prompting understandable privacy concerns.

ZDNet reported:

There appears to be no pattern to who is receiving the messages by mistake, or who the glitch affects.

ZDNet has confirmed first-hand that the glitch is present within Google Apps for Business accounts, including those that have not yet switched over to Google's new Hangouts platform. Messages appear to be visible on the mobile version of Hangouts. There is no indication that the messages are being received by a third party.


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Chats Glitch Google Google Hangout Instant Messaging Privacy