in memoriam: the rise, fall & death of google plus

Sure, it got lumped in with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest and reality, Google+ was developed as identity service, Facebook..   Google was going to be one of many identity service providers for program run by Federal Government called NSTIC, or National Strategy for Trusted Identities Cyberspace...   The Identity Ecosystem is environment, set of technologies, policies and agreed upon standards, that support transactions ranging from anonymous to authenticated and from low to high value.   Google, Equifax, PayPal, Symantec, and Wave Systems were the first recognized IdPs of this new identity system..   Last Friday, House of Representatives passed spending bill including less funding and language intended to wind down the administration's efforts to replace the password with more secure proof of identity.   The House Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies Appropriations bill would provide $5.9 million of the requested $16.5 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology program known as National Strategy for Trusted Identities Cyberspace program...   Tapping Google and Yahoo clouds allows NSA to intercept communications in time and to take retrospective look at target activity, according to one NSA document..   Google goes to great lengths to protect the data and in these centers, with audited access controls, heat-sensitive cameras, round-the-clock guards and verification of identities...   Now, to be clear, link between this breach, the defunding of NSTIC program, and the demotion of Google Plus from Identity Provider to simply media platform..   But this was not the end of Google Plus as application, just Google Plus social network, of sorts..   Read more