Would a poorly thought out April Fool’s prank result in government enforcement? I doubt it, but EPIC thinks it should be in this case:
Google’s April Fool’s joke — a change in the operation of Gmail without user consent — has backfired, spectacularly. Many Gmail users inadvertently enabled the “Mic Drop” button on important emails, allowing Google to insert a GIF into their reply and then irreversibly mute the conversation. Users were outraged and Google reversed the change. EPIC informed the FTC that Google’s prank also likely violates the FTC’s 2011 consent order with the company following the rollout of Google Buzz. EPIC has repeatedly urged the FTC to enforce this consent order against Google, which requires the company to obtain “express affirmative consent” before changing its business practices.
This was a poor judgment April Fool’s prank. It has been trending all over Facebook and other social media entities on how it really affected millions of gmail users.
Whoever decided to put this prank into effect, should be severely reprimanded.