Google + for consumers will shut down by August 2019

Google + will not go out with a bang, or even a whimper. The long irrelevant play at creating a social media platform tied to Google services will instead be extinguished with hushed apologies for the recent discovery that Google had allowed a known exploit to exist without notifying its users.

Google + was once a vibrant and alternative to Facebook and Twitter which offered a good place to post and dialogue about various interests and ideas. The service, which was available on the web and then on mobile, lost traction and eventually withered due to poor management and promotion. Google has apparently pivoted it as an enterprise tool, but the consumer service will end next year.

The recent discovery that a three-year old vulnerability was left open by Google has sped up the service's demise. The Wall Street Journal reported that Google knew and kept secret information about the exploit that affected 500,000 user accounts and exposed even private user information.

Google rushed out an apology and explanation that did little to change that fact that Google acted in bad faith. Had the WSJ not taken Google to task, would it have fessed up on the exploit and told its customers? We'll never know. As for Google + for consumers, its days are numbered.