Note: This article was first published on 10th October 2018 and updated to reflect new shutdown date. Please backup any data that you might have on Google+ as 1st April 2019 is approaching.
Many Google+ users had their personal information exposed to the public without their knowledge and consent due to a security bug which affected an API that was accessed by hundreds of developers. The loophole was apparently active between 2015 and 2018 until Google discovered it earlier this year in March and closed it.
Fearing regulatory scrutiny in light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal plaguing Facebook, Google did not report the matter until now. Google added that it has no evidence that developers were aware of the bug or abused the loophole. About 500,000 user accounts were affected by the breach.
As a result, Google is shutting down Google+ for good as 90% of the sessions lasted less than 5 seconds. The shutdown will take place over a period of 10 months and conclude in August 2019.
Update as of 11th December 2018
Following a software update in November, Google recently determined that there's a bug affecting the Google+ API and was patched within a week of the software update's rollout. Due to the new bug findings, Google has decided to shut down all Google+ APIs within the next 90days. Additionally, Google is accelerating the shutdown date of Google+ from August 2019 to April 2019.
If you're still using Google+, it's best to ditch it for an alternative platform as soon as possible.
Source: Google (1) (2 - new), The Wall Street Journal via The Verge
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