Facebook ordered a Google Smear Campaign

A Facebook spokesman has admited to The Daily Beast that Facebook has ordered a "smear campaign" against Google. It looks like Facebook hired PR firm Burson-Marsteller to "pitch anti-Google stories to newspapers, urging them to investigate claims that Google was invading people's privacy."

Burson-Marsteller sent the story to blogger Christopher Soghoian, expecting that he could sell it to publications like The Washington Post and Politico. However, Soghoian not only declined the offer but also published the email exchange online. Burson also send the story to USA Today, who published a part of the "whisper" campaign.

The story was about an "obscure Google Gmail feature" called Social Circle. According to Burson, Social Circle threatened the privacy of millions of Americans, but USA Today found that Social Circle actually allows Gmail users to make social connections using public information.

Later, it turned out that Burson didn't publish the anti-Google story accidentally, he was actually working for a client - the social network Facebook.

Read more -here-

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