Hypocrisy and Insanity: Google vs. Facebook

For the past week, we have been caught in the middle of a very public, and immature, squabble between Facebook and Google.

It all started November 4th when, apparently out the clear blue, without any prompting or cause (that we know of), Google decided to change the TOS of their Google Contacts API:

5.8. Google supports data portability. By accessing Content through the Contacts Data API or Portable Contacts API for use in your service or application, you are agreeing to enable your users to export their contacts data to other services or applications of their choice in a way that’s substantially as fast and easy as exporting such data from Google Contacts, subject to applicable laws

Needless to say, this announcement set the blogsphere ablaze, claiming that Google was standing up to and fighting back against Facebook's lack of Contact Data Portability.

Little did we know at the time that this was only the start of the drama that would transpire over the next couple of days.

Facebook quickly turned around and developed a work-around based on Google's own data portability functionality:

Of course, Google did not particularly take too kind to this and decided to publicly respond as only an international multi-billion dollar company could do.

As a casual observer, I am completely and utterly both dumbfounded and awe-struck at this extremely public sparing match between these two.

But...this reaction, in my personal opinion doesn't even begin to pale in comparison to how disappointed I am in the poor reporting of this fiasco by the blogsphere.  It only goes to show how much of a short-term memory everyone seems to have.  While these two behemoths wage this public relations battle royale, it would seem that the tiny little detail that Facebook actually does already lets its users export

their friends' email addresses has slipped through the cracks.

Back on March 4th, 2010, Yahoo made a great big huge deal about this particular "feature" in their corporate blog post: "Facebook Friends: Meet Yahoo! Contacts"

In addition to importing your contacts from sites like Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail, starting this week you can now easily add your Facebook friends’ email addresses to your Yahoo! Contacts list. 

Then, on July 13th, 2010, Microsoft made a similar blog post: "All your contacts in one place"

I guess I can understand the all-around general feeling of confusion and disgust since Facebook doesn't actually have a link that actually says "Export friends as CSV" and doesn't openly offer API calls to this information for sites like Soocial, Gist, DUB, Xobni, etc....

But, in this writer's opinion, I find Facebook's responses to be hypocritical and talking out of both sides of their mouth.

Oh, and Google...don't think you're getting out of this so easy either.  You're behaving like a spoiled brat who, since they're not getting what they want, is taking their ball and going home.

So someone, please, anyone, just put these two in a room and don't let them out until this is sorted out.  Until that happens, it will be us, the users, who will continue to suffer as long as we're stuck in the middle without any alternative.

POSTSCRIPT: While I was writing this post, I was listening to today's Buzz Out Loud, where it appears that sanity did prevail.  They informed me that, it turns out, there is an article out there that proves exactly my point, and goes into the same amount of depth that I had originally planned to include here.  So, rather than repeat it, instead, if you want to learn more about this in greater depth, I refer you to this incredibly wonderful post:

http://searchengineland.com/facebook-you-have-no-right-to-export-email-addresses-55247