Facebook Hired Ex-Reporters To Smear Google

E-mail Perez@PerezHilton.com

Report technical problems.

Updated Daily

'); } perez_home_btn(); // /HOME BUTTON function translate_this_page() { if ($("#to_language").val() !== '') location.href = 'http://www.google.com/translate?u='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&langpair=en%7C' + $("#to_language").val() + '&hl=en&ie=UTF8'; } function turn_on_translator_box() { $(document).ready(function() { $("#google_translator_loading").hide(); $("#google_translator").slideToggle(); }); } swfobject.embedSWF("http://img.perezhilton.com/images/translator/translate-header.swf", "google_translator_header", "197", "55", "9.0.0", false, false, {wmode: "transparent"});

powered by Google

Filed under: Busted! > Tech Talk > Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, say it ain't so!

While we aren't surprised to see big companies using bullshizz tactics like this, why would Facebook need to?

Yeah, Google is huge and all, but Facebook has the social networking on lock. We don't see Facebook really being afraid of them, and thus having to resort to this.

Here's what happened:

The mystery over which tech company hired top PR firm Burson-Marsteller to pitch stories about Google invading people's privacy has been solved. And it doesn't look good for Mark Zuckerberg. The Daily Beast's Dan Lyons uncovered that Burson's much speculated-over "unnamed client," who hired the firm to spread a whisper campaign about Google, was none other than Facebook, Google's biggest competitor for online advertising. After seeing the evidence, Facebook's spokesman confirmed Lyons's discovery. Among other tactics, Burson had two former-reporters-turned-PR-flacks, CNBC's Jim Goldman and politics reporter John Mercurio, push USA Today and other papers to publish op-eds and editorials against Google. (An influential blogger even published his email exchange where Mercurio tried to get him to do the same thing)

Seems completely shady to us, Facebook! But, what can we expect from the company that keeps slipping in changes to privacy settings to further benefit themselves??

Some are guessing that Googles Social Circle is to blame for the fear, a new program that let's users share personal information like profile pages, and also secondary sources are gathered automatically ? which means they're being repackaged from sites like Facebook directly.

At least Facebook owned up to it when cornered.

What do U think about these tactics??

[Image via AP Images.]

Tags: benefit, campaign, company, confirmed, evidence, facebook, google, mark zuckerberg, nbc, politics, reporter, the social network

Posted: May 13, 2011 at 2:00 am

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-05-13-facebook-hired-ex-reporters-to-smear-google

real housewives of new jersey georgia australia back street boys natasha bedingfield