Scripps Employees Called 'Hackers' For Exposing Massive Security Flaw
Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
How to turn off Google Buzz, or just close some of its privacy loopholes
Google's been bragging about how many users are on its new Google Buzz service, but a lot of those people want to turn Buzz off. We're already discovering major privacy loopholes in Buzz (okay, the whole thing feels like a privacy loophole) like people's private, backup email addresses being exposed through @replies, and everyone being able to see who you follow.
For the Buzz-haters out there, here's a guide to turning Buzz off, or just disabling specific features of the new services.
Turn Buzz off altogether
To turn off Google Buzz altogether, find the "turn off Buzz" link at the bottom of your Gmail screen. It won't remove your followers/following list or change the settings on your Buzz account, but Buzz won't actively bother you anymore.
If you don't want everyone to see the people you're following and the people who follow you on Buzz, you can turn that off via your Google Profile. (There should be a link to your Google Profile at the top of your Buzz page, next to your followers/following numbers.) Go to "settings" and then find "Display the list of people I'm following and people following me," on the right side of the screen, near your profile image. Uncheck it. Boom.
Remove the Buzz unread count from your Gmail sidebar
If you don't want to kill Buzz altogether, but you feel nagged by seeing how many unread Buzz items you have piling up, you can switch the count off with a userscript. It works with Greasemonkey in Firefox, Greasekit in Safari, and now natively in Chrome. You can snag the script at userscripts.org.
Blocking unwanted followers
It wasn't obvious before, but Google has thrown in more prominent "block" links next to each of your followers, right on the followers list page. Keep in mind that "block" and "ignore" are different, so when you get a new follower, make sure you're totally blocking him if you don't want him seeing your Buzz.
Keeping Buzz updates out of your inbox
If you're okay with Buzz, but hate seeing its updates in your inbox along with your regular Gmail, it's time to create a filter. First, find the "create a filter" link next to the Gmail search box. In the "has the words" field for your new filter, enter "label:buzz" (without the quotation marks). Click next, and ignore the warning about labels that might pop up. As for what to do with the Buzz spam, choose "Skip the Inbox (archive it)." Voila! No more buzzing in your inbox. This Buzz-killing tip comes from Lifehacker.
Comments
13
Subscribe to commentsMatthew W.Feb 12th 2010 4:02PM
I'd just like to know why the person I've blocked 5 times now keeps appearing in the list of people "following" me, (which I still find to be a slightly creepy, stalkerish term) with the option for me to block her still available. Shouldn't she just be off the list now? Or at the very least, shown on the list as someone I've blocked?
PeterFeb 12th 2010 4:26PM
Or you could just not have a public profile. Solves a multitude of Google privacy issues at once.
ChuckJFeb 12th 2010 8:00PM
Google and privacy dont belong in the same sentence. There's just something about Google and rumors and even facts that ive heard/read about that makes me steer away from them whenever I can.
But I guess it really doesnt matter. Our ISP and God knows who else stores everything we do. It ticks me off really and even is a little scary, but we all know it, or most of us anyways, but we also know we cant do a thing about it.
FreeOurInternetFeb 13th 2010 4:16AM
This is the take over of our internet as we know it.
Go to the OpenId home page, google it. Notice how the white house sits above all the other companies backing one form of ID for the internet, Yahoo, Google, Myspace, Word Press, AOL, ALL BACKING ONE FORM OF ID. Preferably biometric I might add. Since when do all these companies agree on anything?
Google Infowars Internet, or check out youtube. There is a take over in place as we speak of our internet and no one is talking about it. Sites sponsored by AOL, and newspapers, don't want to talk about it because they know it will destroy independent media. They have lost a lot of money from independent media, and they know they will be on the allow lists once internet 2.0 is put into place.
BIO METRIC DATA USED TO LOG INTO ALL INTERNET ACTIVITY.
Search facebook for the group "Protect Internet Freedom" for more information.
Its in the cyber serurity bill they passed,
READ IT, IT EXPLAINS THE RULES OF INTERNET 2.0 THAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO IMPOSE ON US
AaronFeb 12th 2010 9:20PM
None of this is what I'm worried about. All I ask for is a way to turn off the "how to turn off Buzz" articles in Reader.
Seriously, they're old. It wasn't funny the first time. If there are idiots out there that signed up for buzz because they thought it was free ice cream and are now confused about which link on their screen will turn off buzz (hint, it has the words "off" and "buzz" in the link), then let them wander the streets in a daze for a few weeks before they stumble on one of the 4000 existing articles that tells them how to scroll to the bottom of the page.
chris josephFeb 12th 2010 11:25PM
people have private backup email addresses?
I'm thinking google's "do no evil" is honestly making an innocent mistake and underestimating the fact that a lot of people are running secret lives online that don't reconcile with their real world existence.
I think people need to be more honest with themselves about who they really are.
JayFeb 13th 2010 4:19AM
@Aaron
Are you for real? First nobody "signed up" for anything. The whole point is they just forced this on Gmail users. I specifically said no to whatever stupid screen that asked me to try Google Buzz and that fugly ass buzz logo still appeared on my sidebar.
But apparently it gets better than that. Even if you specfically turn it off (Hey Aaron, buddy boy, you listening?) you're still stuck with your followers that followed you before you turned it off and and it still exposes your contacts via your profile. Maybe it does maybe it doesn't but there's way too much ambiguity. If you turn off buzz it should end then and there. Now everyone's worried about whether everyone can see their email contacts.
@chris joseph
You're implying that people who want privacy are bad people who did something immoral/illegal. If I'm a democracy activist in China does it make me a bad person for wanting to hide my Gmail contacts from the government?
hmmFeb 15th 2010 1:26PM
Its hard to find reason on the internet. You though, Jay, are full of it.
Patrick OMahonyFeb 13th 2010 4:39AM
Hello Everyone,
-
I tried the filter tips (label:buzz) and several other variations and nothing worked for me.
-
Any other ideas? Pat
ScarlettopiaFeb 13th 2010 11:46PM
Cheers for this
ScarlettopiaFeb 13th 2010 11:48PM
Cheers for
ScarlettopiaFeb 13th 2010 11:49PM
Ha! My commenting difficulties are legendary tonight!
Meant to say, cheers for these tips - now Buzz has been thoroughly removed from my Gmail, I'm a much happier girl!
Victoria ParkFeb 24th 2010 11:25AM
It's not just as simple as clicking on a link to turn buzz off. See.
http://www.justbuzzoff.com