Is the Google and Facebook war heating up?

A new addition has been made to the Terms of Service for the Google Contacts API:

5.8. Google supports data portability. By accessing Content through the Contacts Data API or Portable Contacts API for use in your service or application, you are agreeing to enable your users to export their contacts data to other services or applications of their choice in a way that’s substantially as fast and easy as exporting such data from Google Contacts, subject to applicable laws.

What does this mean?

The change means that users will no longer be able to import Gmail contacts directly to sites like Facebook until they let their users export their contacts.

Consider these points:

1.    At the start of your sign up onto Facebook, you’re run through a series of prompts asking you to enter your Google account information so that Facebook can import the email addresses of your contacts. This is a very powerful feature because it helps new users instantly connect with dozens of their friends. And Google is turning it off.

“We hope that reciprocity will be an important step towards creating a world of true data liberation  - and that this move will encourage other websites to allow users to automate the export of their contacts, as well,” said the Google spokesperson.

2.    Facebook has claimed in the past that there are sensitive issues around exporting contact information. Facebook has never allowed users to export the contact information of their friends. Yes, you can get the list of their names but not their contact details such as emails or phone numbers.

Google made one small change to its Terms of Service that will have a big impact on the world’s biggest social network.

And despite a change to the company’s Contacts API terms of use, Facebook is continuing to allow users to import their Google Contacts.

Do we sense a war heating up between Facebook and Google, who are big competitors in the online arena?

Let us all wait and see how the social networking giant Facebook responds to this search giant Google’s move.