Cost of Privacy Compliance Issues Led Google to Shut Down RSS Reader

It was free, what did its customers care about compliance?

Google has warned that it will shut down its Google Reader news aggregator July 1. Many people (myself very much included) are mourning a beloved and useful product, but the company cited declining usage.

Under CEO Larry Page, Google has made a practice of "spring cleaning" throughout all the seasons so it can narrow its focus. Reader was just a another bullet point on the latest closure list.

But the shutdown wasn't just a matter of company culture and bigger priorities, sources said. Google is also trying to better orient itself so that it stops getting into trouble with repeated missteps around compliance issues, particularly privacy.