Facebook's Secret Plan To Undermine Google Backfires

Earnest Cavalli

New member
Jun 19, 2008
5,352
0
0
Facebook's Secret Plan To Undermine Google Backfires



Corporate subversion done right can topple rival companies from the inside out. Corporate subversion done wrong however, tends to make a hilarious mess.

Take, for example, the debacle Facebook finds itself in after a PR firm in the employ of the social networking giant was caught spreading malicious stories about rival Internet megacorporation Google.

"[Facebook] 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," claims a new report in the Daily Beast. "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."

The firm would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for meddling bloggers. That "influential blogger" Burson spoke to, declined the firm's offer to write an anti-Google article, and instead decided to post the offer verbatim on the 'net. Shortly thereafter, USA Today ran a story [http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2011-05-06-google_n.htm] alleging that the PR firm was engaged in a "whisper campaign" against Google.

Once this all came to light, Facebook couldn't exactly deny its intentions here, so instead the company went in the opposite direction. Speaking to the Daily Beast, a Facebook spokesman confirmed Facebook's connection to Burson-Marsteller, and offered two reasons to explain its motivation: "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."

Google has yet to officially respond to these revelations, and it's still too early to tell what, if any, the fiscal effects of this public relations blunder might be.

Personally I find this whole situation to be incredibly entertaining, and am looking forward to watching this rivalry heat up. Facebook accuses Google of violating privacy standards, Google accuses Facebook of corporate espionage, and so on until the only real solution involves armies of cyborg ninjas.

Source: Huffington Post [http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-12/facebook-busted-in-clumsy-smear-attempt-on-google/?cid=topic:mostrecent1#]

Permalink
 

McMullen

New member
Mar 9, 2010
1,334
0
0
Facebook says Google is doing things in social networking that raise privacy concerns? Considering the news concerning Facebook lately, this is a very inept attempt to spin things.

I'm not sure what's worse, a denial, or this BS. Someone's not good at their job.
 

ScoopMeister

New member
Mar 12, 2011
651
0
0
countrysteaksauce said:
You can't stop the Google.

Remember AltaVista? Exactly.
I'm pretty much going with this. Also, that final thought seems like a perfect way to settle the rivalry. But only if they're cyborg ninja monkeys.
 

Hungry Donner

Henchman
Mar 19, 2009
1,369
0
0
McMullen said:
Facebook says Google is doing things in social networking that raise privacy concerns? Considering the news concerning Facebook lately, this is a very inept attempt to spin things.
It obviously takes one to know one.
 

LaffmanAKAJPLaffo

New member
Feb 11, 2009
104
0
0
This was obviously going to come about sooner or later. Facebook is the social networking king, google is the search engine king. The internet only needs one "king".
 

Lenny Magic

Hypochondriacal Calligrapher
Jan 23, 2009
756
0
0
Earnest Cavalli said:
so on until the only real solution involves armies of cyborg ninjas.
Powered by the latest version of Android!

OT: Is anyone really going to take Facebook's side on this one? They are almost a short word for privacy concerns in social networking.
 

manythings

New member
Nov 7, 2009
3,297
0
0
Google doesn't care since it now has a laptop that stores all your information in the cloud... that it controls... no hard drive, no local storage just the cloud. I can't see that going wrong in any way whatsoever.
 

sunburst

Media Snob
Mar 19, 2010
666
0
0
Facebook better watch itself. If Google decides to bury their results, thousands of people won't know how to log in anymore. [http://www.switched.com/2010/02/12/readwritewebs-facebook-log-in-fiasco-angers-confounds-google/]
 

gigastar

Insert one-liner here.
Sep 13, 2010
4,419
0
0
countrysteaksauce said:
You can't stop the Google.

Remember AltaVista? Exactly.
Yeah, i get what you mean there.

If we're lucky, Facebook will dissapear down the same path.
 
Mar 29, 2008
361
0
0
I can't believe the term privacy concern is still a relevant vocabulary term for anyone connected to social networking. I think it is just one corp taking a shot at another using a term they know raises flags for people.

When a corp can't offer a better product/service they start competing with petty BS.
 

Tiamat666

Level 80 Legendary Postlord
Dec 4, 2007
1,012
0
0
Everyone wants to bash on Google; first Microsoft, then Oracle, now Facebook...

I hope Google wins. Google is the least evilest.
 
Apr 28, 2008
14,634
0
0
Outright Villainy said:
Haha, facebook bringing up privacy concerns against google?

Pot, meet kettle?
Thats what I was thinking. Yeah Google does raise privacy concerns, but Facebook's the one calling them out on it?

lol