Google+ was released to the public 6 weeks ago, and its initial growth spurt has had everyone talking. A natural bone of contention with the release of Google’s new platform is whether it’s a genuinecontenderfor Facebook’s social networking crown. We’re not here to reignite that debate (though do feel free to get involved in the comments below), but it seems someone has a lot of passion for this wholeGoogle+ vs. Facebookthing....

According tothe official Google blog, its brand new social network, Google+ is now open for everyone! Google+ has been in trial for the past 90 days, dishing out limited signups and limited invites for users as it hones its social engine. Over those 90 days, we published several posts onworkaround toolsand even gave out invites from our private accounts to loyal readers. The behemoth social network gained10 millionfollowers in 16 day, as compared to Twitter’s 780 days, and Facebook’s even longer 852 days....

Google has delivered an all-new thing that is going to help people connect with other people on the Internet, and is even considered to be Google’s answer to Facebook. It’s called Google+, and it’s the latest new thing that has the web all a-buzz (pun completely intended). And I’m totally afraid to use it, I was one of the early adopters of Google Wave, the late, lamented thing that Google created that was supposed to replace email....

Senator Al Franken, the representative that initiated ahearing on smartphone data privacylast month, has sent a letter to Apple and Google, who both attended the hearing. The Loop reports that the letter is a follow-up to the testimony given by the two companies. In the letter, Franken asks that policies be instituted by the companies requiring that apps be more explicit about how they use customer data. “If the companies agree to this request, consumers who purchase apps from Apple or Google’s app stores would have a clearer understanding of what information is being collected about them and with whom it’s being shared,” wrote Franken, “Apple and Google have each said time and again that they are committed to protecting users’ privacy....

“Google has been very persistent in maintaining its bleak Chinese presence. The latest news adds another stain to the search giant’s reputation as three companies linked to Google have been investigated for alleged tax fraud in China, citing sources from the country’s taxation authorities. In aReutersreport, the companies have allegedly been found using fake invoices and have had accounting and business tax irregularities involving more than 40 million yuan ($6.06 million)....