Canada attacks Google Buzz privacy settings

The Canadian Privacy Commissioner, who has already prompted Facebook to amend its privacy settings, has now targeted Google Buzz.

Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said in a statement she is curious about how Google has addressed the privacy issues surrounding its new social network, and said the company should have contacted the commissioner’s office before it launched.

“We have seen a storm of protest and outrage over alleged privacy violations and my office also has questions about how Google Buzz has met the requirements of privacy law in Canada,” she said.

In response, Google said it would be happy to chat. “We’re always happy to hear from privacy commissioners in Canada and in other countries,” a company spokesperson told Information Week. “We regularly brief them on new products and features either before or just following launch, both as a courtesy to them and as a way to get valuable feedback on our products.”

Google has come under attack from users after it was revealed private information, such as a list of “friends” and “followers”, could be revealed by default.