It has emerged that social networking service Facebook had secretly hired a PR firm to plant negative news stories about Google (NASDAQ: GOOG). As reported by The Daily Beast, the anti-Google move blew up in their face when top public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller blundered and pitched a blogger with an op-ed about the privacy implications of Google's Social Circle service. This led former FTC researcher and blogger Chris Soghoian to publish his email exchange with Burson. This was picked up and reported in USA Today, who alleged that the PR company was spreading an anti-Google campaign "on behalf of an unnamed client."

Putting two and two together, The Daily Beast confronted Facebook with evidence, and a Facebook spokesman has apparently confirmed that the company did indeed hire Burson. Two reasons were cited: Facebook genuinely believes Google is doing "some things in social networking that raise privacy concerns" and it resents attempts by Google to leverage Facebook data for its own social networking service.

Once exposed, Facebook acknowledged that it wished that it had handled the situation differently, though stopping short of apologizing for its actions. A spokesman told CNET that "No 'smear' campaign was authorized or intended."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at The Daily Beast
- check out this article at The Inquirer
- check out this article at CNET News

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