Aj Jazeera – Google’s latest operating system for Android, called the KitKat, has faced criticism from transgender users who say it fails to protect their privacy.
A key feature of the software is Google+ integration with contacts, SMS messages and texts. Attention was drawn to the potential problems this update poses for trans users when a trans woman named Erika Sorensen was inadvertently outed to her coworker. The software update makes the Google Hangouts instant messaging chat platform the default for all messages, so when Sorensen texted a coworker, her name appeared as Erika rather than her previous male name she was still using at work.