Facebook Confesses to Anti-Google Smear Campaign

[dgstorm]

Today we bring you another piece of news that isn't directly Android related, but it is Google related, and you should hear about it. Facebook recently admitted to hiring a PR firm to specifically write articles with an agenda to smear Google by claiming that Google was violating users' privacy. Here's a quote from The Daily Beast article explaining how it came to light:

For the past few days, a mystery has been unfolding in Silicon Valley. Somebody, it seems, hired Burson-Marsteller, a top public-relations firm, to pitch anti-Google stories to newspapers, urging them to investigate claims that Google was invading people’s privacy. Burson even offered to help an influential blogger write a Google-bashing op-ed, which it promised it could place in outlets like The Washington Post, Politico, and The Huffington Post.

And, here is a quote that details how Facebook was implicated and why:

The plot backfired when the blogger turned down Burson’s offer and posted the emails that Burson had sent him. It got worse when USA Today broke a story accusing Burson of spreading a “whisper campaign” about Google “on behalf of an unnamed client.”

But who was the mysterious unnamed client? While fingers pointed at Apple and Microsoft, The Daily Beast discovered that it's a company nobody suspected—Facebook.

Confronted with evidence, a Facebook spokesman last night confirmed that Facebook hired Burson, citing two reasons: First, because it believes Google is doing some things in social networking that raise privacy concerns; second, and perhaps more important, because Facebook resents Google’s attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service.

This is quite a shock to say the least. We all know that big corporations war with one another, but this seems like something out of a bad "Disney" movie. Facebook is acting like a spoiled child that can't have its way. It'll be interesting to see how the fallout shakes down from the backlash of this news.

Source: Android.net via Engadget and The Daily Beast

 

[Yakuzagang5]

Except Facebook never asks permission for anything, you have to opt out to get out of it, and Google asks your permission before doing anything...

Ironic, eh?

 

[jroc]

Wow Facebook. Say it aint so. Google just pisses everybody off huh? I wonder sometimes do they wish they woulda just stayed with the search engine and GMail.

 

[jntdroid]

Interesting... but Google Social Circle isn't new I thought?

 

[chasehammer]

Google will soon be separated by force of the US government i predict. same thing happened to AT&T. Google is on course to stick their nose into every marketplace in the world. Not that I hate Google because i love Google products but where is the line?

and at Facebook....and you prospered by this how exactly? making someone look bad is one thing i guess but this doesnt directly affect Facebook...not that i can see.

 

[npro1464]

Facebook is one to talk about evading our privacy.

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[cjreyes666]

funny would be if google one day buys off facebook

 

[wingdo]

Google will soon be separated by force of the US government i predict. same thing happened to AT&T. Google is on course to stick their nose into every marketplace in the world. Not that I hate Google because i love Google products but where is the line?

and at Facebook....and you prospered by this how exactly? making someone look bad is one thing i guess but this doesnt directly affect Facebook...not that i can see.

Google is not a monopoly. That is the difference here and why AT&T was dismantled. Google doesn't own 95% of any market. As long as there is real choice for everyone there is no monopoly. That's why Microsoft has not been broken up.

 

[silverfang77]

Maybe that's why Facebook's official Android app is such a piece of garbage.

 

[GDP]

Google will soon be separated by force of the US government i predict. same thing happened to AT&T. Google is on course to stick their nose into every marketplace in the world. Not that I hate Google because i love Google products but where is the line?

and at Facebook....and you prospered by this how exactly? making someone look bad is one thing i guess but this doesnt directly affect Facebook...not that i can see.

Google is not a monopoly. That is the difference here and why AT&T was dismantled. Google doesn't own 95% of any market. As long as there is real choice for everyone there is no monopoly. That's why Microsoft has not been broken up.

Don't 95% of all internet searches go through Google?

 

[jroc]

It might be, but they are not forcing anyone to use Google for search. Most ppl just prefer it. There are a ton of search engine out there.

 

[jntdroid]

is what FB is accusing Google of even true or new?

 

[MoeDaddy]

I think google is around 65% of search market share...

Facebook is looking worse and worse everyday in the eyes of consumers and media. They are on top and keep getting bigger but tides can change in the tech world quickly...

 

[rudydroid]

Except Facebook never asks permission for anything, you have to opt out to get out of it, and Google asks your permission before doing anything...

Ironic, eh?

well, maybe not.
if you have the latest google market version, launch it, press hard menu key, select settings, scroll to the bottom and see if google opted you in for *interest-based ads.*

 

[p1ngputts]

Except Facebook never asks permission for anything, you have to opt out to get out of it, and Google asks your permission before doing anything...

Ironic, eh?

well, maybe not.
if you have the latest google market version, launch it, press hard menu key, select settings, scroll to the bottom and see if google opted you in for *interest-based ads.*

First time checking this.. not opted in..

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