Concerns about the increased cost of compliance with privacy regulations influenced Google's decision to shut down Google Reader from July.
According to an anonymous source speaking to AllThingsD, Google is attempting to better manage how it deals with legal and privacy issues - such as those that led to the action from various EU privacy watchdogs due to take place this summer.
In many cases this will require every Google team, including that of Google Reader, to have its own unit of lawyers and policy experts in order to react to incoming issues.
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According to the anonymous source, Google is not willing to invest in the additional infrastructure needed in order to meet those requirements for Google Reader.
Indeed, it's reported that when the firm announced it was going to shut down Google Reader, the unit didn't even have its own full-time engineer or project manager.
Since its launch in 2005 Google Reader has been steadily losing users, and the firm has a well established policy of culling poor performers.
A petition to save Google Reader has reached over 140,000 signatures, but apparently that won't be enough to make Google change its mind about shutting it down on 1 July.
Enthusiastic users have asked why Google Reader can't just be sold off to a third-party, but its deep integration with Google Apps apparently makes closure the simpler option.
Other apps due for the chop in 2013 include the GUI Builder and five UiApp widgets (the rest of the UI Service will remain unchanged); the voice app for BlackBerry; the 3D modelling app Building Maker; and the Cloud Connect plugin, which allows collaboration on Microsoft Office documents.
