Hasta La Gadget!

We’re hearing from tipsters and a number of other sources, including Google’s own Product Forums, that a bug is causing some Google Hangouts and Google Talk messages to be sent to the wrong recipients. A few awkward situations have already ensued, according to TechCrunch, such as internal company communications being sent to ex-employees. The privacy bug seems to crop up when users of the old Google Talk platform try to connect with those who have migrated to the newer Hangouts service, so it sounds like it could be a transitional thing — it’s also reminiscent of a similar bug that hit Skype last year. Meanwhile, some of us here at Engadget are currently experiencing the more fundamental (though thankfully less embarrassing) problem of not being able to log onto Hangouts in the first place.

Update: Google’ status page reports that the issue has been resolved and that services are “gradually returning to normal.” It says it will update users again when the full service is restored.

[Thanks, Boris]

Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google

Comments

Source: Google Product Forums, TechCrunch

Yesterday, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce plans to offer the iPhone 4 and 5 on a pre-paid basis with Straight Talk, a no-contract carrier offering unlimited data plans. And if you go with anything else, you’re probably a sucker. More »

I’m sure the new Onion’s TED parody is funny, but I was just too impatient to sit through all that talk about how we consume, digest and poop out news even before they are fully written. So I jumped to the end, when a dog eats an apple pie, a moment I’ve waited to see in detail since they released their series trailer. More »

The United Nations defines the stereotype of a peace broker, so it’s not that far-fetched to hear that its International Telecommunication Union (ITU) wing is hoping to step in and cool down the rapidly escalating patent world war. The organization plans to convene a Patent Roundtable on October 10th — in neutral Geneva, Switzerland, of course — to have smartphone makers, governments and standards groups try and resolve some of their differences. Those mostly concerned about Apple’s actions won’t be happy with the focus of the sit-down, however. Most of the attention will surround allegations that companies are abusing standards-based patents, which will put the heat largely on a Google-owned Motorola as well as Samsung. Still, there’s hope when the the ITU’s Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré talks of desiring a “balancing act” between what patent holders want and what customers need. Our real hope is that we don’t have to hear talk of customs delays and product bans for a long while afterwards.

[Image credit: Patrick Gruban, Flickr]

ITU wants to bring smartphone makers to peace talks, hash out patent wars originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC  |  ITU  | Email this | Comments