Google pulled the plug on Google+ to avoid a scandal like Cambridge Analytica - expert comment

"Google was quick to pull the kill switch on its social media platform because it feared a similar fallout to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the cyber-attack that hit 50million accounts at Facebook.

"It is clearly an attempt to reduce the damage to Google's image and limit the fall out in the current political climate, following the recent inquiries into social media bias in the United States.

"The decision to close Google+ is also symptomatic of the huge sensitivity now facing mega-large social media websites. Their size has become a liability as well as a measure of success, because of the huge risk involved in managing so much personal data.

"We don't know if users' data was exploited by hackers and we don't know how long this flaw had been open, given that Google+ was launched seven years ago in 2011.

"It was clearly a failed social media site compared to Facebook. It was never a serious revenue stream for Google, so it could simply pull the plug. Google had never invested enough in the site design and social engagement, it was seen more as an experiment, looking for another revenue stream in social media beyond the search engine ads that account for 70 per cent of the company's revenue, without really understanding the social engagement needed."