Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

Google Privacy Trap: Consumers Beware I wrote earlier this morning, reporting on the latest “indictment” of the Google-centric privacy policies, offered by Privacy Interntational.

As I wrote, the privacy organization came to the conclusion that Google is ‘hostile to privacy,” by evaluating the Google privacy policy, the same modus operandi I use to dissect Google’s motivations.

Privacy International is now “accusing Google of conducting a smear campaign” against the organisation in seeking to discredit it because it portrayed Microsoft not as hostile to privacy as they deemed Google to be. Specifically, Privacy International says Google is contacting European media to suggest their organisation is in the Microsoft camp.

Moreover, Google does not attempt to refute the specific Google privacy policy shortcomings alleged by Privacy International, it aims rather to discredit the entire work of the organisation with sweeping, but unsubstantiated, claims that: 

We are disappointed with Privacy International’s report, which is based on numerous inaccuracies and misunderstandings about our services. It’s a shame that Privacy International decided to publish its report before we had an opportunity to discuss our privacy practices with them.

What is really the shame is that Google continues a pattern of public disingenuousness as a communications strategy.

Privacy International did indeed contact Google earlier this month, but didn’t receive a response, according to the organisation.

Privacy International’s account of things is in line with Google’s typical modus operandi in dealing with both the media, especially with members of the press that do not republish Google PR spin, and bodies which strive to shed sunlight on the way the most powerful technology company operates.

Examples abound on how Google seeks to not only muzzle communication and public discourse, but shed doubt as well on the integrity of those that dare not toe the Google as benevolent do-gooder for the world line.

At the SES conference in San Jose last summer, Shuman Ghosemajumder, the Google point man on click fraud, ambushed fellow panel members, third-party click fraud advisory firms, by brandishing a Google penned “report” undermining the integrity of the work of such firms.

Google’s public communications strategy mirrors political campaign strategies, negative ones. Google strives to win by shooting down supposed opponents, rather than bolstering its own case. The sad situation is, however, that it is not only competitors that Google plays its masterful spin games with, Google treats anyone and anything that does not embrace Google, and its own Google-centric vision of the future Google world, as an opponent to be neutralized.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently demonstrated his unwillingness to communicate openly and directly with the public at, ironically, the Personal Democracy Forum in NYC, “paid for (sponsored by) Google”!

As top sponsor of the all-day event, Google had opening keynote honors. Schmidt used his podium to wax poetic about how Google is a force for open democracy in the world. When it came time for him to put his words into action, though, he did a typical Google about face.

During his not so open Q & A, Schmidt refused to take questions from any person in the audience who did not “pay” to attend the event. On its face, the Google CEO was indicating that “Personal Democracy” is up for sale, but his ultimate end-game was to prevent press from posing any questions to him.

Irony of ironies, I had my hand raised to ask Schmidt why the NYC Googleplex has cut off media access to the Google openhouse public “Speaker Series.”  What’s more, Google is even insisting that “civilians” allowed to attend the Google showcase of its best and brightest not even blog about a single word that is said, by Google.

What is Google afraid of? That its latest NYC featured speaker, Vint Cerf, “the father of the Internet,” will say something embarrassing?

UPDATE: Google is WRONG On Consumer Privacy and Google vs. Microsoft the Monopolist: 0 for 2

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