Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google’s messaging app Allo may not be safe anymore. The app is said to be sharing search history with friends, a security hitch that has been linked to a design flaw. The issue was first brought to light by Recode after an attempt by the bot to answer a question using a link from a previous search.
Allo accommodates Google’s Assistant, the company’s most recent edition of its virtual assistant software. The unexpected behavior of Google’s app has caused uneasiness among many people because the previous search could have been something sensitive. However, the tech giant seems to have put the issue to rest.
A response to the concern by Google states, “We were notified about the Assistant in group chats not working as intended. We’ve fixed the issue and appreciate the report.”
Assistant tries to safeguard against sharing private information in Allo
A design flaw has been mentioned frequently as the sole cause of the malfunction. However, this is still under scrutiny and perhaps more testing will be necessary. Apparently, Google’s own Pixel phone and Google Home have had the Assistant feature, which is in competition with the wildly successful Echo from Amazon.com, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN).
Nonetheless, one of its main roles is to safeguard against its user’s information in Allo. That means one can use the messaging app and the Assistant at the same time. For example, chatting with a friend on Allo while searching for a restaurant in a certain area.
Despite its flaw, Google continues to promote it as its primary messaging app
Notably, Google’s apps are tightly bound together and that makes it easy to get information from them, the likes of Maps or Gmail. However, messaging in Allo is totally different from searching on the web.
Nevertheless, Google has continued to pitch firmly on it citing that it is a unique business-only solution. This was in favor of Google’s Hangouts that were reinvented recently. The app may be struggling now to become mainstream in messaging but there seems to be much more in terms of privacy setbacks.
Meanwhile, Alphabet’s stock closed at $865.91 witnessing an increase of $1.33 or 0.15%.