Facebook accused of running a smear campaign against Google

The social networking giant hired PR firm Burson-Marsteller to generate negative coverage

Social networking site Facebook paid PR firm Burson-Marsteller to run a smear campaign against rival internet giant Google, according to a well-known blogger.

The US-based blogger, Christopher Soghoian, said he had been approached by the PR firm to write a story about Google "invading people's privacy".

However, this backfired when Soghoian published the email exchange with Burson-Marsteller, igniting rumours that perhaps Microsoft or Apple had spread the negative coverage.

US web site The Daily Beast then revealed that it was in fact Facebook that had prompted Burson-Marsteller's approach to Soghoian.

"Confronted with evidence, a Facebook spokesman last night confirmed that Facebook hired Burson-Marsteller, citing two reasons: first, it believes Google's activity in social networking is raising privacy concerns; second, and perhaps more importantly, Facebook resents Google's attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service," wrote Dan Lyons on The Daily Beast web site.

Facebook and Google are fierce competitors, with Google on the verge of launching its own social networking service called Social Circles.

In a statement to the BBC, Facebook said that it "wanted third parties to verify that people did not approve of the collection and use of information from their accounts on Facebook and other services for inclusion in Google Social Circles - just as Facebook did not approve of use or collection for this purpose".