Feedly Forces Its Users To Create Google+ Profiles

somegeekynick writes "Feedly users, a lot of whom migrated from the now-defunct Google Reader, are now finding out that they will not be able to login to the service without a Google+ Profile. In a blog post from Edwin Khodabakchian, which was posted almost at the same time the change rolled out, the reason for the change is stated as following Google's own move from using OAuth to Google+ for authentication. What has riled up a lot of users, as can be read in the comments, is that this change has come without warning and a lot of feeds are now being 'held hostage' by Feedly, especially for users who are reluctant to create Google+ Profiles."

Roll your own authentication guys

[wiredlogic]

We also understand that some people would prefer to have more identity choices. So we have been testing twitter, facebook and wordpress login options. We will be rolling them out over the next 7 weeks.

Apparently they are too busy looking for other ways to force you to have 3rd party accounts to realize the obvious solution and roll their own authentication system.

Pump up the numbers

[Desler]

Well thats one way to keep pumping up the Google+ numbers with more inactive accounts.

All your accounts are belong to us.

[TheDarkener]

I'm f***ing sick of Google and their integration of Google+ into Youtube (and obviously their other, and 3rd party services). I don't like Google+. I like Youtube (less and less these days, however). I don't use GMail, or any other Google service (besides search when DuckDuckGo doesn't find me what I want). It's like they're trying to force-feed us their horrible social network via proxy (no pun intended). NO I DO NOT WANT TO POST MY YOUTUBE COMMENTS ON MY DESOLATE GOOGLE+ ACCOUNT. Just keep them separate, they were never meant to be tied together.

Re:NEVER roll your own authentication.

[Jody Bruchon]

Were you going for a "funny" tag with this? Are you a software developer? You know that OpenSSH isn't a program for website user authentication, right?

Re:Not a Story

[rudy_wayne]

From TFA:

[Update 2: The change has been rolled back: you can now go to http://cloud.feedly.com/ [feedly.com] and login using the old Google Authentication mechanism. The main lesson we learned here is that user should control how they want to login to login to their feedly. We will make sure not to forget this. Have a good week end].

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Until they try to figure out another way to force this on people.

Google's ultimate goal is simple. You can't just use only Gmail or only Youtube or whatever. If you want to use one service, you have to use them all.

Re:I don't see the problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Has it never occurred to you that some of us DO NOT WANT to use facebook?

Re:What is the issue with creating a Google+ accou

[icebike]

I keep seeing the seeing these paranoid critters screaming bloody murder about being forced to use Google+. What exactly is the issue with creating a Google+ account and not adding any information you do not want to share? Please enlighten me!

Has the privacy disaster that is Facebook not once entered your brain after all these years?

People are losing jobs, and failing to get jobs, because of this nonsense, people are being forced to turn over social network account passwords, and the accounts, with or without passwords are being mined, not only by advertisers, but also by government agencies. [businessinsider.com]

Look, its fine that you buy into this stuff, but don't drag me into it, just because you don't see a problem in your little world. Even teenagers are starting to realize facebook is a trap. [techcrunch.com]

There is simply no reason to believe Google+ is going to be any different. You can see the creeping invasion already.

Re:NEVER roll your own authentication.

[Salgat]

I simply don't trust myself to make a 100% secure server, as most should not be and are not qualified to do so. Why go through all the trouble and risk when a free alternate solution already exists?

Answers.com isn't getting any answers from me

[tepples]

Because some of the users that you want to serve disagree with the policies of one of the major authentication providers. For example, Answers.com isn't getting any answers from me because I have no Facebook account. (I graduated and lost my .edu mail before Facebook existed.)

Re:All your accounts are belong to us.

[tlhIngan]

Why do you think Facebook, well known for shitting on people's privacy settings, is any better than Google?

"Privacy settings" is a marketing term..

There is NO such thing as privacy online. Posting something online is equivalent to posting it to the world - it's like keeping a secret by telling someone. And if you're not going to tell anyone, why post it online?

The only reason why "privacy" is an option is because Facebook and everyone else knows that people won't post anything otherwise. So they invent "privacy settings" to trick (yes, trick) everyone into revealing things that they rationally won't.

The old adage (from decades ago) goes "never put online anything you don't want to read in the New York Times". Or I guess, the Google front page these days.

Nothing's changed, just Facebook has managed to sucker in a bunch of gullible people into thinking there's any semblance of privacy online. And that doesn't even cover the need to monetize your information. Just putting it online is dangerous enough.